


Studies Say that Having Pets is Good for Your Health

by Bi_Duckling



Series: The Thing about Pets [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: All the egos are part-animal of some kind, Animal hybrids, Halfbreeds, Jack's confused and doing his best to understand this strange new world, M/M, Oh well., Tags will be updated as the story progresses to avoid spoilers, The story is a combo of smut and fluff, This was suppose to be a PWP, but it took on a life of its own, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-04-28 08:29:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 76,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14445354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bi_Duckling/pseuds/Bi_Duckling
Summary: Jack is just a normal guy who works as a cashier at a local grocery store. Coworkers come and go, but for some reason he's became the go-to guy for dropping off pets when his fellow employee's move away and can't take the animals with them.He already owns a cat, and now a snake has moved into his apartment. Little does he know, though, that they are way more than what they seem, and Jack soon realizes that there isn't any book out there that can help him understand how to take care of his new companions.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Welcome aboard.  
> Originally, this was suppose to be a PWP story, but the set-up took a life of it's own. So, this story has taken a life of it's own and will be a combination of fluff and smut. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy~
> 
> EDIT: Hey y'all! Thanks for sticking with it!  
> Sorry that the first 3-4 chapters are kinda slow. I was using them to get this chapter on it's feet/working out how I wanted to write this story, but I'm glad a lot of people are liking it!

Jack sighed after shutting his front door behind him and turns to face the fairly large clear, rectangular tank sitting on a side table in his living room. The tank has a large heat lamp, water and food bowls, and plenty of various structures resembling branches, twigs, and debris to mimic the ground outside. Two larger wood pieces have places for a creature to hide, and in one of those holes were two small eyes looking back at him through the shadows.

  
  


~*~

Episode 1: Always Remember to Feed Your Pets

~*~

  
  


Jack goes over and leans down to get a better look at the creature. It’s small eyes watch Jack’s every move, and he gets the impression that it could care less what its new owner does.

 

He can make out the head of it through the shadows cast by the heat lamp, and he watches as a forked tongue flickers now and again out from between its lips; tasting the air and getting a sense of its new surroundings.

 

The tank is placed just far enough from the living room window where the fully grown Garter Snake can still see the outside world without being affected by the cold draft that occasionally seeps past the window frame. 

 

The snake’s former owner and Jack’s coworker, that had just dropped off the reptile at Jack’s home, is moving to another state. However, they were unable to keep the serpent at the new location, so they had been looking for someone to adopt the thing. Jack never had the desire to own such a creature, but no one else at work would take it in. He had already adopted one animal from another coworker that had moved away - that one being a white, British Shorthair kitten with a series of light brown and dark black markings on its forehead - and that had somehow made Jack the go-to guy for dropping off animals people could no longer keep. 

 

Speaking of the white feline, Jack turned around to see the now full-grown cat perched on the back of his sofa. Seafoam green eyes were staring at the new creature in their home, head cocked slightly to the side, and its tail swayed back and forth lazily. 

 

“How do I get myself into these situations? Seriously,” Jack mumbles to himself before looking back at the snake. Jack sighs again and goes over to the bag that the coworker left with the snake. He pulls out some fish pieces for the reptile and drops it into its food bowl. He gives it fresh water soon after, and the snake looks at the bowl with a boring stare before looking back up at Jack.

 

“I know it isn’t much, alright? I’ll be sure to get you something with more variety tomorrow. You’re just gonna have to make do with this tonight.” The snake just flicks its tongue out once in response, and Jack sighs while running a hand through his hair. Eventually, the serpent works its way out of its hiding place and over to the food bowl. Jack smiles with relief, and he’s grateful that he didn’t fuck anything up. 

 

He watches the snake eat and takes in the details of the creature. It’s a beautiful earth brown with long, light green stripes traveling the two-foot length of its body. The scales and bright green slitted eyes shine beautifully under the light of the heat lamp, and the annoyance of adopting a new animal slowly fades away the longer Jack looks at it. 

 

A meow breaks through the silence, and Jack turns back to the feline. It stares at Jack expectantly, and Jack huffs with a smile on his face.

 

“I suppose you would like to be fed, too?” Jack asks, and the cat meows in response before jumping down and going into the kitchen. He follows the feline into the room and makes his way to a cupboard by the sink. Jack grabs a can of wet food and pries it open as the white haired feline weaves back and forth between his legs and purring loudly at the prospect of food. The cat meows loudly, and Jack laughs. “Hold your horses, dude, I’m almost done.” Jack scrapes the food into the metal bowl and fills a second bowl with fresh water. He puts them down on the floor, and the cat immediately digs into its meal. Jack pets its head and back, and the feline purrs as it eats.

 

After scratching its ears, Jack stands up and finally makes himself some dinner. His meal consists of a simple sandwich, chips, and a beer. He brings his meal to the living room and turns on the TV, setting up a show on Netflix, and leans back into the couch and eats his meal after hitting the ‘play’ button. The cat comes and joins Jack on the couch a while later and falls asleep on his lap almost immediately. Jack pets the cat slowly as his eyes stay fixed to the TV, and the snake has moved to sleeping on top of the fake log in his tank. 

 

Jack isn’t really sure why he agreed to adopt the feline in the first place. He’s allergic to cats, so the idea behind adopting one seemed absurd. However, when he picked it up for the first time, the itchiness of his eyes never came nor did the rashes on his skin. He remembered staring at the cat in amazement as it curled up against him, and Jack was thrilled that he found a cat that wouldn’t cause him constant allergic-induced suffering. 

 

When he brought it home, the cat was cautious about the new place. Soon, however, Jack watched it dash around the house. It would speed out of his bedroom and down the long hallway before little paws thumped against the kitchen floor. More than once the cat misjudged its speed and slid right into a cabinet door, and Jack couldn’t help but laugh as the kitten sat there dazed and confused. Before Jack could catch his breath, though, the cat shook its head and went right back to dashing back and forth between his room and the kitchen. He’d shake his head in disbelief before going back to whatever was he was doing and no longer worried about the physical condition of the feline. 

 

Soon after he adopted the cat, his coworkers would tell Jack that he seemed happier, and that he was more approachable than before. Jack would look at them with confused expressions and apologized to them saying that he was never aware that he was giving off such a vibe before. 

 

Back to the present, Jack breaks his gaze away from the TV and looks down at the purring cat before looking over at the sleeping snake. He’s not sure why, but Jack feels that they’ll get along well together, and Jack sighs happily. 

 

The clock on the wall says it’s one in the morning, and Jack sits up to stretch his back; making a face when one of the joints makes a popping sound. The cat stirs from the motion and stretches its own back before hopping down off of Jack’s lap. Jack turns off the TV, all the lights except the heat lamp, and locks the door. The snake looks up at Jack once before closing its eyes again, and Jack makes his way to his bedroom after dropping his dishes in the sink to be cleaned the following morning. 

 

Jack sets his alarm and crawls into bed, laying on his side, and soon after the cat jumps up and curls up on top of the blankets behind Jack’s bent knees. He repositions slightly to get more comfortable and falls asleep. 

 

The next morning, Jack is woken up by the cat laying on his chest. It has one paw outstretched and resting against Jack’s lips. It bats the skin there until Jack opens his eyes to stare at the feline. It meows at him once, noise loud in Jack’s ears, and Jack glares back at it but there’s no heat in his eyes. “I suppose you’d like breakfast?” Jack asks the white haired creature, and the cat meows once more. It stands up and leaps off the bed when Jack grumbles and stretches. He sits up in bed, and he can hear the cat meowing from the kitchen. “I’m comin’, I’m comin’! So demanding...” Jack chuckles as he gets out of bed and throws on a t-shirt to go with his boxers. He feeds the feline, turns his alarm off on his phone once it rings, and preps the coffee machine for it to start brewing.

 

He turns towards the tank and grabs more fish pieces to place in the food bowl. The snake is back in its hiding space under the log, and Jack opens the lid to the tank in order to place its breakfast into the dish. Jack places a fresh bowl of water in soon after but freezes when he feels the flicker of a forked tongue against his hand. He looks towards the snake and sees that it has came out of hiding. The snake is looking at him, and after a moment it moves onto Jack’s hand. Jack watches in fascination as the snake crawls further onto his forearm before reaching his bicep. Its scales are smooth against Jack’s skin, and he swallows as the snake travels along the back of his skull before wrapping its body around Jack’s neck once. The snake pulls its head out far enough to stare Jack square in eye, and Jack doesn’t dare move in fear of startling the creature.

 

After a moment, the reptile tightens its grip on Jack’s neck, but it’s only a light pressure. Jack can still breathe easily, so he doesn’t make a move to remove the snake. Eventually, he raises one of his hands towards the snake and begins to rub the top of its head with two fingers; cautiously at first, but soon picks up a regular rhythm. The snake doesn’t move but doesn’t pull away either, and Jack considers it a small victory.

 

Jack feels the snake tighten its body around his neck once more before relaxing, and the snake leans its head towards Jack’s face. He’s confused by what it’s doing, but gasps as the forked tongue flicks out and brushes across his lips once. Jack feels a blush rise to his cheeks, and the reptile considers him once more before pulling away. 

 

Satisfied, the snake works its way back down Jack’s arm, uncoiling from his neck, and its tongue flicks out and tastes Jack’s skin multiple times along the way. It goes to the food bowl and begins to eat its breakfast, and Jack brings his fingers to his lips as he stares at the creature. He’s not sure what to make of the gesture, but he shakes his head and decides that he hasn’t had enough coffee to process all of this.

 

Jack turns towards the kitchen and sees the white cat sitting in the entryway. The cat is staring at the snake before it turns its attention to Jack, and its tail is swaying back and forth against the tiled surface of the kitchen. Jack raises an eyebrow, and the cat breaks its gaze. It meows and weaves between Jack’s legs once more. He smiles and pets the cat again before going to fetch a cup of coffee. He sits at the table and scrolls through his phone as the cat sits on the ledge of the kitchen window frame and looks outside. 

 

The rest of Jack’s morning is uneventful, and Jack soon heads to his job at a local grocery store. As he leaves, he tells the two animals to behave while he’s gone, and that he’ll pick up some food on the way home. He makes eye contact with the snake, and the reptile flicks its tongue out at Jack once. Because Jack is a mature adult, he sticks his tongue out in response and Jack swears he sees the snake smirk at the gesture. 

 

His day at work is also, thankfully, uneventful. The only thing worth noting was the going-away party for the former snake’s owner. The coworker once again thanks Jack for taking in the reptile, and he hands Jack a card saying that Jack could take the snake anywhere for health concerns, but that this was the man that he went to see when taking care of the reptile. They go onto explain that the man on the card isn’t really a certified vet, that he’s a human doctor, but he knows a his stuff and takes care of animals all the time as a side practice. The name on the card seems like a mouthful to say, but Jack thanks them and places the card in his wallet.

 

Once his shift is over, he stops at a local pet store and picks up some more variety of food for the snake along with restocking the felines wet food supply. He greets the two animals once he gets home, and the cat is immediately by his feet purring and meowing happily that Jack has returned. Jack shuts the door and leans down to pet the soft fur before making his way into the kitchen with his groceries. 

He feeds the feline and takes care of the litter before making his way over to the tank. Jack opens up a fresh package of food, fresh mice bits this time, and places the new meal in the bowl. The snake instantly perks up at the smell and moves over to investigate. It tastes it once, then twice with its tongue, before diving right into the meal. Jack smiles and rubs the head of snake with his fingers before closing the lid and goes back to making himself some dinner. 

 

Jack stays up late playing video games online with his friends, since he gets the weekend off, and doesn’t turn off the TV until the clock says 3 AM. The cat is sleeping on the couch and stirs when Jack stands up. He pets the cat and turns off the lights. Jack stares at the snake for a moment before reaching in and petting its skin. The reptile opens its eyes to look at Jack, and the man smiles before closing the lid and goes to lock the front door. 

 

He’s walking down the hallway when he feels the air suddenly shift around him. Jack looks back towards the living room with sleepy eyes and sees his cat perched on the back of the couch, following Jack with its eyes, and he realizes that the snake is doing the same thing, too. His eyebrows furrow but doesn’t find anything out of place, so Jack shakes off the feeling, goes into his room, and crawls into bed. He closes his eyes, turning away from the bedroom door, and not seeing the quick bright flashes of light originate from the living room.

 

Jack wakes in the morning and instantly buries his face into his pillow as the sun’s rays shine through his bedroom window. His body feels like it’s pressed into a heater, and Jack sighs at the warmth. He pulls the body next to him closer and is determined to grab a few more minutes of sleep before he wakes for the day.

 

It takes Jack a solid ten seconds to realize what he just did, and his eyes fly open. The sight of two white cat ears poking out of a combo of brown and seafoam green hair greets his vision, and his breath catches in his throat. Jack keeps the whimper that wants to escape his throat from passing his lips when he pulls away enough to look down and see a face identical to his own -  with the addition to light brown and black markings on his forehead. They’re in the shape of they symbols associated with a deck of playing cards, oddly enough, but what’s even more alarming is that the copy of himself is very much  _ naked,  _ and that freaks Jack out even more. 

 

Jack tries to move away when an arm that’s wrapped around his waist, that he didn’t notice before and suddenly making him  _ very much aware _ of the body pressed against his back, pulls him into an embrace. He looks down at the hand connected to the arm, which is also identical to his own, and sees that its nails are painted black, and Jack gasps and squirms as the fingertips start to dance play along his happy trail.

 

He whips his head around to see two bright green eyes with slitted pupils staring back at him through half closed eyelids, and Jack confirms his suspicions that the man looks like himself, too. The man yawns, and Jack eyes immediately dart down to see a full set of needle-like fangs where his canines should be, and a forked tongue rests on the bottom of his mouth. This man is also naked, but where the first one had seafoam green hair, the second man’s was a dark green color and similar to a forest. 

 

They make eye contact once more and their gazes never waver as the cat-man snuggles closer to Jack and begins to actually legit  _ purr _ in his sleep.

 

Jack’s voice finally makes a noise that sounds like a combination of a muted scream and a whimper, and the darker haired man blinks lazily. He considers Jack for a moment before finally speaking. 

 

“..Boo.”

 

The sound of Jack’s scream reverberates to the outside world, and it startles the morning birds in the trees causing them to fly away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His pets turned into men, and Jack, understandably, freaks out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh good, you're still here!   
> Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy~

Jack flails, body finally catching up with his panicking mind, and he scrambles out of bed. His feet tangle with the sheets, and Jack falls face first into the rug below. He hears the man with black nails start laughing his ass off, hissing through his teeth in amusement, and the cat-man wakes up with a start from the scream and commotion. 

 

Jack looks up at the bed, flabbergasted, as two heads peak at him over the edge of the mattress. The darker haired man is amused whereas the other has a combination of fear and curiosity in his eyes.

  
  


~*~

Episode 2: Don’t Forget to Establish Ground Rules Early On

~*~

  
  


“W-who-- what-- the heck are you!?” Jack yells as he tries to get his heart rate to pulse at a safer level.

 

“Calm down, will you? It’s just us,” the dark haired man replies. He uses a pinky to scratch the inside of his own ear. “Also, you’re really loud.”

 

Jack snorts at the answer. “The fuck do you mean ‘it’s just us’? Who are you? Why are you in my house?  _ Naked? _ And why do you look like me?!” 

 

The cat-being immediately notices it’s not wearing pants and quickly covers itself with a bed sheet. The other seems to not care about its current appearance, doesn’t bother to cover himself, and Jack makes an effort to not look down farther than the man’s chest.

 

“Welp,” the man with the snake eyes begins to reply, “long story short, we take the appearance of our owner when we’re in our human form.” Jack blinks once, twice, and tries to process what he just heard.

 

“Did… you just say ‘owner’?” The man hums an agreement in reply, and the white eared man coughs to get Jack’s attention. 

 

“Uh, we’re sorry. There’s just not really a good time to show this version of ourselves. I’m your cat. My name is Marvin, and this is Anti. He’s the snake that you adopted the other day,” the cat, Marvin, explains, “We’re… well, your pets.”

 

Jack’s eyes stare at Marvin for another moment before darting over to look at the other man, Anti, sitting cross legged on his bed. His eyes bounce back and forth between the two before he brings his hands up and rubs the palms of them into his eye sockets. When he looks back up, they’re still there. One of Marvin’s ears twitches, and Anti wiggles his fingers on one of his hands to wave at Jack. Jack makes another sound that resembles a whimper and buries his face into his hands.

 

“...What the fuck is happening?” Jack asks more to himself than the duo on the bed. Marvin is instantly down by his side and taking one of Jack’s hands into both of his.

 

“I know it’s hard to believe, but ... please. Just look at me.  _ Really  _ look at me. I am your cat, I swear,” Marvin pleads with Jack, and Jack almost pulls away but something from inside himself stops him. Curiosity gets the better of him, and Jack takes a moment to really look at the other man. 

 

His ears and, yep, that’s a tail, are covered in white fur, and they are indeed really familiar. The tail brushes against his leg unintentionally, and the texture is the same softness that Jack remembers when he petted his feline companion. Jack swallows and looks into his eyes, and they’re actually cat eyes instead of humans. The pupils are slightly slitted, and the color of his dyed hair matches his eyes. Jack sighs in disbelief as his brain struggles to process the situation. 

 

He looks back up at Anti after a moment, and the eyes he sees there are indeed the same snake eyes that watched Jack through the clear walls of the tank. The stare has the same intensity and Anti’s tongue flicks out to taste the air via instinct.

 

Jack swallows and breaks the gaze, running his free hand through his own hair, and sighs. Marvin’s ears flatten on his head, and Anti stays still. They watch what Jack’s reaction will be and they grow more worried when the silence drags on.

 

“..Okay.”

 

Marvin’s ears perk up, and Anti raises an eyebrow.

 

“...Okay?” Anti replies.

 

Jack hums in agreement. “Yeah… Okay.” Jack looks up and Marvin is beaming at him.

 

“That’s all it took?” Anti asks, and Marvin turns to him, hair raised in anger.

 

“Shut up, Anti! Don’t make him question it!” Marvin yells at the reptile.

 

Anti holds up his hands in defeat. “Hey, I was just asking. I was expecting more of a panic attack.”

 

“Oh, I reserve every right to have a panic attack or five,” Jack interjects, “and this is gonna take me awhile to wrap my head around.” Anti and Marvin agree to help out in whatever way they can, and Jack moves his gaze back and forth between them again before sighing and putting his head back in his hands. “... Not enough coffee in the world to process all of this,” Jack mumbles to himself, but Anti must’ve heard him because he starts laughing at the statement.

 

Marvin’s stomach suddenly growls, demanding food, and the feline blushes and mumbles an apology. Jack waves him off, saying it’s fine, but then furrows his eyebrows. “Um.. Okay. Question number one. What do you guys eat, then? The stuff I was giving you before wasn’t bad for you, was it?”

 

The cat is the first to speak up. “We eat both animal food and human food. In cat form, I can eat the wet food you give me, but when I’m like this, I can eat anything you can. Same goes for Anti, right?”

 

Anti nods and adds, “Yeah. Basically, we’re humans with odd appearances. We know how to operate as a human being when it comes to basic necessities and diets.”

 

“So, if I make scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, you two can eat it?” Jack asks. Marvin confirms with a ‘Yep!’ and Anti hums in agreement. “...Fair enough. I’ll start breakfast, I guess.” Marvin and Anti immediately get out of bed at the prospect of food, and Jack about-faces into the wall to avoid being face level with their crotches. “And for the love of Jim Belushi,  _ PLEASE _ PUT ON SOME PANTS!”

 

A while later, they’re all in the kitchen fully dressed, thankfully, and Jack has just put the eggs in the pan. Coffee is currently brewing, and there’s a kettle on the stove heating up for some tea. Marvin is sipping on a cup filled with orange juice, and Anti is resting his chin in his hand, elbow on the table, and legs crossed in front of him. 

 

The reptile is wearing a long sleeve, black turtleneck shirt and a pair of dark grey sweatpants. Marvin found an oversized dark blue hoodie, some black boxers to wear, and the sleeves on the hoodie are to the length where only his fingertips are visible if his arms were at his sides. Jack is wearing a pair of flamingo patterned shorts and a white t-shirt. He sighs as his coffee finishes brewing, and he pours himself a cup. He holds the beverage in both hands, feeling its warmth, and Jack eyes flutter shut as the first amount of bean-juice passes his lips.

 

The tea kettle whistles, and Jack quickly removes it from the stove. He pours the hot water into an awaiting cup containing a tea bag and brings it over to Anti. Anti wakes up enough to accept the beverage and thanks Jack for preparing it. Jack says not to mention it and goes back to the stove. The eggs are done and the bacon finishes soon after. He dishes up the food and brings it over. Marvin thanks him, and Anti immediately digs in. Jack takes a couple bites of his own food before his gaze wanders back to the duo. Anti catches his gaze and smirks before going back to his meal.

 

“You have questions,” Anti states simply, and Jack nods in response.

 

“What are you guys, exactly. I know you’re part snake, and that Marvin is part cat, but do you have a more generic title? Like, I’m a human, for example.”

 

Marvin and Anti share a look before Marvin swallows his bite of food and answers. “We don’t really have one. We’ve just existed, and it’s never bothered us that we don’t have a title like that. That’s more of a human trait, to categorize things, rather than an animal problem. The only thing we have distinguishing us, besides our features, is our name.”

 

“That makes sense, I guess. Is there more out there like you?”

 

“Yes,” Anti replies.

 

“...Are you going to elaborate?” 

 

“No.”

 

“May I ask why?”

 

Marvin interjects with an answer. “You’ve never heard of beings like us, obviously, and there’s a good reason. Most of society doesn’t accept change, and for us being such a rare..well, species, humans don’t always accept us. Because of this, we’ve stayed in secret for a very long time. We may have presented ourselves to you, but that doesn’t mean others want to be found out. We can tell you that there are others like us, but for their safety, we don’t wish to identify who they are without their permission.”

 

Jack’s mouth parts in thought throughout Marvin’s explanation, and as he finishes, Jack looks down at his plate. “I..I get that. Sorry to be so intrusive.”

 

“Don’t be,” Marvin assures him, “We know you have questions, and that it’s a lot to take in, but we won’t always be able to answer you. Not completely anyway.”

 

Jack stays silent a moment before asking another question. “Why did you reveal yourself then? Why me? Marvin, you’ve been with me a while, but Anti, it’s only been two days. Do you really trust me that easily?”

 

Anti’s eyes bore into Jacks own for a long moment before going back to his food. 

 

“No. Not really.”

 

“Then why--”

  
  


“Because I trust Marvin.” Jack watches as Anti and Marvin share a look. Marvin blushes at the statement and goes back to eating. “We talked for a while when you were at work, and he says that he trusts you.” Anti looks back at Jack. “A trust gained from people like us is not to be taken lightly. He asked me to present myself to you, and so I did.”

 

Jack looks at them both and sips on his coffee. Anti goes back to eating his meal, and Marvin smiles at him before taking another sip of orange juice. Jack looks back at his plate and takes another bite of food while considering his options. He does agree that the world can be a cruel place, and it seems that both Marvin and Anti has put a lot of faith on Jack’s shoulders. Jack assumes that it must be a terrifying experience to live day in and day out in fear of getting caught. 

 

Jack’s hair is covering his eyes when Marvin calls out to him, calling him ‘Master’ and asking if everything was alright.

 

“Jack,” the said man replies.

 

Anti and Marvin share a look before looking back at him. “Pardon?”

 

“My name is Jack,” Jack explains and sets his fork down, “You.. can call me whatever you want, but I want to establish this right now.” Jack looks up and Anti see’s the determination in his eyes. “You are, in no way whatsoever, obligated to call me Master, Owner, or anything of that nature ever again. If I’m to establish one ground rule, then it’s this: We are equals. I am no better than you, nor are you better than me. You are your own being, you can make your own decisions, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise ever again.”

 

Anti and Marvin are staring back at Jack in shock, eyes wide and jaws slack. Jack blushes from the attention and picks up a piece of bacon. “A-and that’s final. So there.” He ends his speech by shoving the piece of bacon into his mouth and breaking eye contact. 

 

A moment passes before Anti begins to chuckle. It develops into a full blown laughter, and Marvin is beaming at Jack. Jack barely has a moment to prep himself as Marvin launches into his arms and straddles Jacks legs. Jack makes a noise of surprise as Marvin nuzzles his face into the crook of Jack’s neck, and soon he returns the embrace and sighs. Marvin thanks Jack over and over for his acceptance, and Jack blushes at the praise as he mumbles that it’s no big deal.

 

He catches Anti’s gaze over Marvin’s shoulder, and the man is smiling as he looks at Jack. He doesn’t see trust in Anti’s eyes, not yet anyway, but there’s a warmth in them now, and Jack assumes that he’s taken a step in the right direction about how to handle this type of situation. 

  
  


Eventually, Marvin sits back down in his own seat and finishes up his breakfast. Anti is done with his meal and is leaning back in his chair while sipping on his tea. Jack finishes his own plate while idly chatting with the two men. He gets to learn about them a little more with each question he asks, and the conversation carries them until the sun is high in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Welcome to the end of chapter 2!  
> Leave a comment letting me know what you thought of it, should you choose to do so. :)
> 
> Thanks!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The initial shock is out of the way, and Jack starts to adapt to his new lifestyle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with it! The smut starts in this chapter.   
> Enjoy!

Marvin was very clingy after breakfast. It wasn’t all that different from when he was an actual cat, Jack supposed, since he followed Jack to wherever he wandered around the house. Now, however, Marvin had hands. He’d use them to hold himself next to Jack, nuzzling his neck and shoulder whenever he got the chance, and when Jack did have to move, he would hold onto the hem of this shirt like a small child. 

 

Jack drew the line of Marvin following him into the bathroom when he had to pee. Marvin pouted at the man, telling Jack that it’s not like he hasn’t seen everything already, and Jack recalls the number of times the feline had accompanied him to the bathroom during a shower or changing into a different set of clothes in the bedroom. Jack’s face turns a bright shade of red and tells Marvin to just stay put while he does his business. 

 

The feline reluctantly agrees, and when Jack comes out a couple minutes later, Marvin is sitting at the base of the doorway. He instantly perks up when Jack opens the door, smiling a bright smile with small cat teeth, and gets to his feet. Marvin immediately latches onto Jack, hands holding the material of Jack’s shirt and face buried into the side of his neck. Jack sighs and reaches up to scratch the man’s furry ears, and the feline purrs happily.

  
  


~*~

Episode 3: Pets are People, too!

~*~

  
  


After some petting, Marvin finally lets Jack go and they wander into the living room. Anti is sprawled across the couch, eyes closed, and a small smile rests on his lips as he enjoys the warm air flowing down on him from the home’s heating system. 

 

“You really enjoy the heat, don’t you?” asks Jack. The snake hums in response, not opening his eyes.

 

“You keep it a great temperature in here,” Anti replies simply.

 

Jack nudges Anti’s feet in an unspoken request to sit down on the couch. Once Jack is settled, Anti places his legs right back on top of Jack’s lap and immediately twitching his feet against Jack’s hands until the other man sighs and begins to rub and massage them. 

 

“You’re unbelievable,” Jack tells Anti, and the snake-like creature laughs, a combination of a chuckle and a hissing sound, before he settles back into the couch cushions even further. 

 

Marvin settles down onto the floor and curls up against Jack’s leg. Jack huffs and reaches down to pet Marvin’s ears as the feline settles in for a nap. He purrs for a bit until sleep finally takes over, and the noise stops. Anti is soon snoring, one arm resting over his stomach while the other hangs over the side of the couch, and Jack smiles in disbelief at the situation he’s in. Jack grabs the remote and turns on the TV, keeping the volume down so the other two versions of himself can sleep, and Jack leans back and gets comfortable.

 

Jack wakes up as he feels the feet on his lap move, and he rubs his eyes with his hands. He didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep, the TV still playing softly, and Marvin is still sound asleep against his legs. Jack looks over at Anti as the other man sits up and stretches before Jack starts attempting to free his legs from the feline’s grasp. Just as he’s about to stand, however, Jack feels a hand grab his own. 

 

Jack glances up and gasps as he finds Anti nearly nose to nose with him. He didn’t even hear or feel the man move close to him, and bright green snake eyes stare into his own baby blues. 

 

“W-what…” Jack asks, but the question never comes out. Anti raises his other hand to cup Jack’s face, and Jack swears that the reptile is about to kiss him. Jack doesn’t know how he feels about that thought, and it scares him to think when he realizes that he might not be opposed to the idea. 

 

He can make out the bright yellow specks against the green of Anti’s irises, and the black slits of the pupils compliment the color nicely. Jack’s breath catches in his throat, and time seems to slow the longer Jack stares into them. After a minute, Jack hears a whispered ‘Thank you’, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Jack could see Anti’s lips move with the words, he would’ve sworn that he imagined it. 

 

Anti actually does kiss him, but it’s on his cheek instead of his lips. Jack’s face turns a bright shade of pink and mumbles a ‘You’re welcome’ though he’s not sure what the reptile was grateful for. The reptile pulls away and gets to his feet. He walks down the hallway, mumbling about needing to take a piss, and Jack runs a hand over his face once he hears the door close. 

 

Jack understands the concept that pets can be affectionate creatures, but now he can’t help but see them as people. He’s been single for a long time, not really actively pursuing a relationship with anyone special, and he’s not use to the attention. Don’t get him wrong, the affection isn’t unwelcome, he’s just unsure of the duo’s boundaries and what their actions mean. Everything has happened so fast within the span of a couple hours, and Jack decides that it might be too soon and too fast to ask about that particular matter. 

 

He decides to just let them tell him in their own time, and that Jack will just observe their actions as time unfold. Happy with the decision, Jack finally manages to get his feet free without disturbing the feline and goes into the kitchen to start making them an early dinner since all three slept through lunch. 

 

He’s getting out a pot to make some spaghetti when he hears the bathroom door open again, and soon Anti is joining him in the kitchen. The reptile sits down at the dining table, props his head in his hand, and watches Jack prepare the meal. Jack decides to ask more questions while he waits for the water to boil. He asks Anti where he came from and how he came to be. Anti shrugs in response and tells Jack that he doesn’t remember much from his childhood. He’s not sure who his parents were, and as far as he can remember, he’s always been like this. Anti does wonder now and again why he is the way he is, but for the most part he’s never really cared. He says that he’s been adopted by two owners previous to Jack, including his former coworker, and that’s really all his life has been. 

 

Jack asks if Anti has ever ‘presented’ himself to the other owners like he has for Jack, and Anti says no. He explains that he’s had no desire to do so, that he was content to just exist as a snake. Only if things had gotten dire would Anti turn into his human form and leave in an attempt to survive. Luckily, he’s never had to, and he tells Jack that if it wasn’t for Marvin, he probably would’ve never presented to Jack either. 

 

He nods, understanding that he is the outsider compared to them, and he looks down at his feet with a frown. The water begins to boil, and Jack turns around to face the stove to place the noodles into the pot. Jack begins to stir the pasta with a spoon when two hands rest gently on his hips. He nearly jumps out of his skin, surprised again that he never heard the reptile get out of his seat let alone come up behind him, and Jack shudders when Anti’s hot breath tickles the back of his neck from being so close. Neither men move, and Jack lets out a stuttered breath. “...Why me?”

 

“Because you’re different,” Anti replies.

 

“I’m nobody,” Jack sighs.

 

Anti hums and thinks for a moment. “Maybe. But… there’s something about you, and for now… that’s enough.”

 

Jack huffs in response. “That’s illogical.”

 

“That’s instinct,” Anti replies simply. Jack eyes widen briefly, but then sighs with a smile. 

 

After a moment, Anti pulls Jack’s hips back into his own, and Jack gasps. Anti isn’t holding him tight enough to where he can’t break away, but something in Jack doesn’t want to, anyway. Jack swallows as Anti leans forward and presses his lips to the back of Jack’s neck, and soon Jack feels a forked tongue dance across his skin. The feeling is slightly ticklish, but it’s more pleasure inducing than teasing, and Jack’s grip on the spoon tightens as he gets lost in the attention. 

 

The sound of a loud timer causes both men to jump at the noise, and Jack is quick silence the thing before turning off the stove. Jack grabs the handle of the pot and moves to drain the water into the sink. Hands on his hips hold firm, though, and for a moment longer Anti keeps Jack pressed against him. Anti nuzzles his face into the back of Jack’s neck, and the other man sighs before leaning back into the embrace. He feels lips press against his skin there before Anti finally pulls away. 

 

The serpent thanks him one more time and tells Jack that he’ll go wake up the feline for dinner. Jack shakes his head and finishes preparing the pasta, using a sauce-in-a-jar as the topping, and prepares the plates of food when Marvin and Anti walk back into the kitchen. Marvin is rubbing his eyes with a sleeve from his oversized sweater, but soon he walks over to help Jack carry the plates and drinks to the table. 

 

Both men tease Marvin for sleeping so much and the feline sticks his tongue out in response; his defense being that he is part cat and that cats sleep all the time. Jack laughs and Anti says that Marvin is spoiled. The feline huffs and digs into his meal. Jack leans over and scratches the man’s ears as an apology, and soon the cat is smiling again. 

 

The dinner concludes pleasantly, and after the dishes are clean, Jack introduces them to video games. They’ve always seen people play them but never got a chance to themselves, so the duo are stoked at the prospect of trying it out. The feline, surprisingly, is an instant natural, quickly beating up Jack’s character, and Anti comments that the student has surpassed the master. Jack gives the serpent a playful shove and demands a rematch from Marvin. The cat happily agrees, and soon they’re all laughing and commenting on the scene before them. 

 

Eventually, Jack has to use the restroom and hands the controller to Anti. When he comes back, Anti’s character is getting its ass kicked, Marvin laughing in delight, and the snake retaliates by leaning over and pressing random buttons on Marvin’s controller. The cat shrieks at the sudden move, reaching his arms away from the sabotaging hand, and Jack can’t help but laugh at Marvin’s misfortune. Marvin eventually wins the round, it takes a lot more effort due to Anti’s plots of sabotage, and the two look back Jack. Their smiles of joy are genuine, and Jack asks if either of them would like some popcorn. Marvin cheers happily and says yes, and Anti agrees with the decision. He makes the popped treat, pours it into a bowl, and sits on the couch between the two men. After a few hours of video games, Jack plays a movie, and they all settle in next to each other as the flic plays. The sun sets and the moon ends up high in the sky by the time Jack finally calls it a day and decides it’s time for bed. 

 

Marvin is fast asleep next to him, head on his shoulder, and Jack smiles. Anti stands and moves over to pick up the sleeping feline. He carries the man bridal style and tells Jack that he’ll put him to bed. Jack thanks him and turns off the TV before taking the empty popcorn bowl to the sink. He decides that he’ll wash the dish tomorrow and goes to turn off every light in the house. Jack locks up the front door and turns around to make his way down the hallway.

 

Jack jumps, gasping, and his hand flies to his own chest as he’s suddenly face to face with Anti. The man appeared suddenly behind him as he locked the door, and Jack glares at the man. “Stop doing that,” Jack whispers to Anti, not wanting to wake up the feline, “You scared me.”

 

“Sorry,” Anti replies, but he doesn’t move away. Jack’s eyes meet his own, and soon he finds himself getting lost in the green orbs again. Without breaking eye contact, the serpent takes Jack’s hand within his own and squeezes. At first, Jack is confused at the gesture, but soon gasps as the hand lets go in favor of slowly trailing up his arm. The image of the snake climbing up his arm after he fed him flashes through his mind, and a deep blush covers his face as he recalls the memory. The hand trails up his bicep and over his shoulder before long fingers slowly wrap around Jack’s neck. Anti squeases slightly, not nearly enough to cut off Jack’s air supply, and Jack swallows. The serpent can feel the movement of Jack’s adam’s apple beneath his palm, and he leans his face closer to Jack’s until the tips of their noses touch. 

 

Jack feel’s his eyelids grow heavy the longer he stares into Anti’s eyes, and he gasps as the flicker of Anti’s tongue brush across his lips. The tongue does it again, and Jack’s breath stutters. 

 

“A-Anti,” Jack calls out weakly, and Anti doesn’t break their gaze.

 

“Tell me to stop,” Anti tells Jack, and Jack whimpers. “Tell me to stop, and I’ll stop.”

 

Jack swallows again, licking his own lips, and Anti follows the motion with his eyes before meeting Jack’s gaze once more. Jack closes his eyes against the intense stare, and his head is swirling with emotions. Throughout all of the chaos, however, Jack doesn’t feel a single feeling telling him to get away.

 

Anti waits patiently, and he searches Jack’s eyes once they’re back open. His tongue flicks out again when he sees desire there and his eyes dart down as Jack bites his lower lip and stares back at Anti. The soft flesh pops free from his teeth as Jack opens his mouth to answer. “Likewise.”

 

Anti smiles, and Jack can see the long sharp snake fangs gleaming from the moonbeams shining through the window. He has about two seconds to prepare himself before Anti leans in and captures Jack’s lips with his own. Their eyes flutter shut, and Jack moans into the kiss. Anti pulls Jack against him and moves them until Jack’s back is pressed against the door. Jack cups Anti’s face with his hands, tilting his head for a deeper kiss, and Anti’s hands move south until they’re cupping Jack’s ass. 

 

Jack brings his legs up to wrap around the serpents hips, and the new angle puts delicious friction against their groins. Sparks fly up through their spine, and the two men can’t help but moan and buck their hips into each other.

 

Anti’s tongue dances across Jack’s lips, and Jack opens up instantly. The forked tongue dancing with his is weird but pleasant, and Jack feels more than hears Anti groan as his own tongue brushes against the sharp fangs. 

 

The kiss breaks with a wet ‘pop’ and Jack’s head falls back against the door as Anti’s lips and tongue assault his neck.

 

“A-Anti, please..” Jack isn’t sure what he’s asking for, but Anti hums in response and pushes them off the door. Jack wraps his arms around Anti’s shoulders and buries his face into the crook of the serpent’s neck as the man carries him to the couch. They fall into the cushions heavily, and Jack manages a brief huff from the impact before Anti is devouring his mouth once more. 

 

The serpent realigns his body with Jack’s and begins to rock his hips into him at a fast pace. Jack’s quiet moans get louder with every thrust, and soon his hips are matching Anti’s rhythm. 

 

One of Anti’s hands pushes up and under Jack’s shirt, instantly finding the sensitive nipples, and Jack breaks the kiss by throwing his head back in pleasure while his body arches into the touch. “ _ Fuuuck,  _ Anti. Ohhh god, d-don’t--- don’t stop,” He cries out, and he can feel the snake smile against his neck as he doubles his efforts to driving Jack crazy. 

 

“Careful. Don’t want to wake Marvin, now do we?” Anti whispers against Jack’s skin, and Jack bites his lip, a poor attempt to keep the moans from escaping, and tries to distract himself by moving his hands down to the front of Anti’s sweatpants. Fingers dance over the hem of them, and Anti lifts his hips enough for Jack to work the garment down to his thighs. He isn’t wearing any underwear, and Jack sees that Anti is truly his double - even down to his cock, and Jack can feel his mouth water at the sight of it. 

 

Curious to know if Anti likes the same attention to his cock like he does, Jack wraps his hand around the head of it and squeezes firmly as it passes over the head of the crown. The serpent’s hips jerk immediately into Jack’s grip, and Anti hisses through his teeth as he does it again. Anti retaliates by pressing his own palm into the tent in Jack’s shorts and causes the man to buck into his touch. He leans down and lets his fangs prick Jack’s neck, leaving bite marks all over his skin, and Jack whines at the combination of pain and pleasure coursing through his body.

 

Anti releases Jack’s nipple in favor of shoving down Jack’s shorts before immediately lining up both of their cocks and wrapping a hand around the two swollen organs. He uses his thumb to smear the precum forming at the heads and spreads it over his hand to use as lube. Anti rests his forehead against Jack’s and makes sure they maintain eye contact before he begins to pump them at a steady pace. It’s not long before Jack is moaning loudly again, and Anti leans down the rest of the way to shove his tongue into Jack’s mouth. 

 

Jack buries his hands into his hair and keeps the reptile in place, kiss never breaking, and Jack thrusts his hips up to meet Anti’s down stroke. Anti increases the pace to almost a frantic rhythm, and soon Jack’s nearly bucking Anti off of him from the momentum of his thrusts. 

 

Jack comes with a shout, muffled by the forked tongue down his throat, and hot white seed splatters across their stomachs and shirts. Anti is close behind, adding to Jack’s mess, and the serpent’s body shudders through his orgasm.

 

The kiss finally breaks, both gasping for air, and Anti buries his face into Jack’s neck as he starts to come down from the high. Eventually, Anti can no longer support himself and collapses on top of Jack. The mentioned man wraps his arm around Anti’s upper back, huffing at the sudden weight, but Anti is grateful when he doesn’t ask him to move. 

 

Jack’s body twitches occasionally from the aftershocks, and he whines when the hand on their cocks become oversensitive. Anti moves his hand away, prying it from between their stomachs, and lets his arm flop over the side of the couch. 

 

It takes a few moments to get their breath back, and Jack runs his fingers through Anti’s hair to get his attention. “Hey.. You good?”

 

Anti hums happily. “Perfect. You?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” 

 

Anti pulls back far enough to look at Jack’s face and smiles. Jack returns the gesture and pulls Anti in for another kiss. Jack intends for it to be just a peck on the lips, but Anti moves his hands to keep him there, and soon Jack’s toes curl as Anti increases the intensity of it.  There’s a drool line connecting their mouths together when they part, and Jack blushes as Anti grins proudly at the state he’s reduced the man too. Jack mumbles through the embarrassment that they should probably move to the bedroom, and Anti agrees. 

 

The serpent stands up and pulls off his shirt, using it to clean the two men, and discards the soiled garment into the laundry hamper. Jack pulls off his own shirt, throwing it in with the other, but both men keep their pants on since they made it through unscathed. 

 

Marvin, thankfully, is snoring away when they open the door to Jack’s bedroom, and Jack lets out a sigh of relief. Jack crawls into bed with Anti being close behind. He snuggles up against Marvin and feels Anti spoon up against his back. The feline turns in his sleep, pushing his face into Jack’s chest, and Jack wraps an arm around the man, pulling him close. A hand settles on his hip and soon the sounds of snoring fill Jack’s ears. 

 

Jack is the only one awake, and he finds it hard to believe that a little less than 24 hours ago he woke up in this position with no clue of who these men were. Now, it seemed that Jack had known them for a very long time. Marvin begins to purr in his sleep and Anti presses his face into the back of Jack’s neck. Happiness stirs inside Jack’s chest, and he closes his eyes. A smile forms on his lips, and Jack lets the sound of snores and purrs carry him off to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! More chapters will be published in the near future.   
> Let me know your thoughts, should you choose to do so! I'd love to read them! :D
> 
> Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is mostly smut.  
> There's plot stuff at the end, so scroll down if you wish to skip the smut stuff.
> 
> Also, for this entire story, I've been spell checking it myself, so I'm sorry if I missed any mistakes! D:  
> I try to check them about three times, but sometimes I still miss stuff. 
> 
> Apologies if those mistakes ruin the momentum of reading the story.

Jack wakes up the next day with a weight on top of him. He cracks his eyes open wide enough to see that it’s Marvin laying on his chest. The feline is looking at him with sleepy eyes, fingertips resting on Jack’s lips like how a cat would rest their paw, and Marvin yawns. 

 

He raises one hand to scratch the white furry ears, and Marvin’s eyes close as purrs start reverberating from his throat. Jack feels the tail flicking back and forth underneath the sheets between his legs, and he looks over to see Anti laying on his back snoring soundly. The serpent has the sheets pushed down to his waist, one arm resting across his own stomach, and the other is buried underneath the pillow behind his head.

 

He shifts his gaze to look at the sunlight shining through the crack of the curtains of his bedroom window and yawns. 

  
  


~*~

Episode 4: Be Sure to Give Your Pets Lots of Love and Attention

~*~

  
  


Marvin moves up Jack’s chest in order to nuzzle his face into the crook of his neck. Jack responds by wrapping his arms around the feline’s back and buries his nose into the short hairs on the side of his head. The purring grows louder, and Jack lazily moves his fingers up and down the other’s spine through his hoodie. 

 

“Mornin’, Marv,” Jack greets him and gets a quiet mewl in reply. He starts making a mental checklist in his head of all that he wants to get done today when he feels a lick against one of Anti’s bite marks on his neck. 

 

Jack’s body flinch from the unexpected action, drawing a gasp from his lips, and his hips involuntarily buck up into Marvin as the feline repeats the action on his sensitive skin. Marvin responds by rolling his own hips lightly into Jack, and Jack’s hands fly to the feline’s hips to keep him still. “M-Marvin, what are you--”

 

“T’is not fair,” the other simply replies.

 

Jack tries to regain enough focus to keep the conversation, but Marvin makes it difficult when he starts sucking his own hickeys into Jack’s skin. “W-what? What’s not fair?”

 

Marvin licks at the new spot before pulling away and looks down at Jack. “I want attention, too,” the feline explains, “I can smell it. Anti’s sex on you. I want to be with you, too.”

 

The feline’s face is really close to Jack’s, almost having to go cross eyed to see the man’s face, and Jack tightens his grip on Marvin’s hips as they rock down into him again against the restraints of Jack’s hold. Jack bites his lower lip as the friction increases, and Marvin leans down to lick at Jack’s mouth.

 

“ _ Please?” _ Marvin asks in what can only be described as a sexually-laced whisper, and Jack groans loudly.

 

“F-Fuck. Okay. J-just stop me if--”

 

“I will. I promise,” Marvin replies, and Jack raises one hand to bury his fingers into the feline’s hair to pull him down into a kiss. Jack swallows the mewls and moans as Marvin parts his lips enough to allow Jack’s tongue to invade his mouth. Marvin’s tongue is rough, like a cat’s, but just like with Anti, the weird sensation isn’t unwelcome, and Jack moans loudly back into the kiss. 

 

The hand still resting on Marvin’s hip wanders south to cup and squeeze the soft flesh of the feline’s ass through the black boxers, and Marvin’s hands move over Jack’s shoulders, arms, and chest. Clawed fingers occasionally tease Jack’s nipples, and Jack arches into the touch. Jack’s eyes are closed, but he’s pretty damn sure that there is no way Anti isn’t awake due to the shaking of the mattress. However, he can’t find the willpower to stop himself to see the serpent’s reaction, and any remaining thought of how Anti would react to see Jack with Marvin goes out the window when the feline pinches his nipples harshly.

 

Jack bucks into Marvin before he wraps his arms around the feline and flips their positions. Marvin gasps at the sudden motion and brings his arms and legs around Jack as the man above him leans down and recaptures the cat’s lips into a brutal kiss. Jack grinds their hips together at a faster pace, starting to care less and less that they’ll probably come in their pants, but gasps as a new set of fingers brush along his spine. 

 

The kiss breaks, both men panting heavily for air, and Jack looks over to see Anti laying on his side. The fingers travel back up his spine, and Jack shivers at the touch. Anti’s tongue flicks out from between his lips occasionally, tasting the air, and his eyes are dark with desire. The serpent isn’t even bothering to hide the hard on pressing against his sweatpants, and there’s already a dark stain there from the precum. 

 

“A-are… you okay with this?” Jack asks, and Anti nods. The serpent leans closer, kissing Jack on the lips, and Jack moans into the contact. Anti pulls away after a moment, saying that he’ll discuss the details later, but in short, their species isn’t too bothered by keeping monogamous relationships. They can if they so choose, but that is decided between partners. As long as Jack was okay with it, then it didn’t bother them. 

 

Jack blinks the fog from his mind rapidly as he process what Anti said to him before a high pitched mewl sounds from below. Apologizing, Jack picks up the rocking pace again, slowed previously while Anti spoke, and Jack kisses the feline’s markings on his forehead. 

 

“Thank you,” Jack manages to say. He’s not sure if it was directed towards Anti or both men, but the sentiment is there, and Anti smiles as he continues to rub Jack’s back. Occasionally, the hand will travel down to his ass and squease is through his shorts, fingers dipping into the waistband, but never traveling further. Jack groans in frustration at the teasing. “Jaysus. You two are gonna be the death of me,” Jack huffs out, and he can hear the serpent chuckle beside him. Marvin mewls and pulls Jack down into another deep kiss, and Jack stays there for a moment before breaking it and moving down to suck, lick, and nip at Marvin’s neck. He sucks a couple hickeys there in retaliation from the attention he received earlier, and Marvin’s body squirms underneath him as he attacks a sensitive spot near where a normal human’s ear would be. The feline whines loudly, Jack’s hands working under the hoodie now, as fingers work at and rub his nipples. After a moment of the delicious torture, Jack lifts up far enough to pull the sweater off of the feline. He tosses the garment away before leaning back down and taking one of the swollen nubs into his mouth. 

 

Jack sucks, licks, and lightly bites at the flesh, and the attention causes Marvin to arch off up the bed. The feline’s moans are suddenly muffled, and Jack looks up to see Anti devouring Marvin’s mouth with his own. Jack doesn’t expect the scene to turn him on as much as it does and his hips buck even faster into Marvin’s groin. He reaches down to pull at the black boxers, and Marvin instantly lifts his hips for Jack so that they can be removed. Jack moves back far enough to pull of the black material, the feline’s cock springing free, smacking against the man’s stomach, and Jack throws the material to the ground. 

 

When Jack backed away, Anti moved immediately over the feline, and his body covered the upper portion of the man’s torso. Anti’s hands are roaming everywhere; shoulders, chest, stomach, and lightly brushing up against the hardened member. Marvin whines, body bucking in an attempt to get closer, but Anti has the feline pinned to the mattress. Marvin has his fingers buried in the serpent’s hair, and the grip he has on the strands is firm. Anti doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, Jack swears it causes him to groan louder into the kiss, and he feels his own cock twitch as he drinks in the scene playing out before him. 

 

Soon, a clawed hand is reaching out for Jack, breaking the trance, and Jack quickly divulges himself of his own shorts before crawling back onto the bed. He lets one of his hands trail over Anti’s backside, fingertips brushing briefly over his ass through the soft material, and Anti bucks back into the contact. Jack pulls the elastic waistband of the sweats up before letting it go, and the material snaps against Anti’s skin. 

 

Anti breaks the kiss and hisses, calling Jack a tease, and Jack laughs saying that it takes one to know one. The serpent pulls back and turns to Jack before pulling the man into a heated kiss. Jack instantly frames Anti’s face with his hands and returns it with the same intensity. He pulls back briefly for air, but Anti buries his fingers into his hair and yanks him back in for another brutal kiss. Jack groans loudly at the attention, and his cock twitches again as Anti’s tongue invades his mouth and tracing every inch of the wet cavern before finally pulling away. The kiss makes a wet ‘pop’ that leaves Jack panting heavily and cheeks bright red. Anti smirks, fangs fully shown, and he’s proud of how much of a mess Jack is.

 

“F-fuckin’ shit, Anti..” Jack manages to stutter out, and Anti chuckles.

 

“Like that, did you?” Anti replies.

 

“Shut up..”

 

“Hmm. Nah, don’t think I will.” Jack swears Anti’s smirk grows even wider.

 

“Fuck you,” Jack says back.

 

“Maybe later.”

 

Jack is about to retort when Marvin whines beneath them. Both men turn their heads to look at the feline. The cat’s eyes are dark, pupils blown wide, and he’s stroking himself. Jack bats his hand away and takes over. Marvin instantly arches into his fist, and his hips begin to fuck Jack’s hand. Jack moves his hand enough where he can slide his own cock in beside Marvin’s before closing his fist once more and pumping even faster. Marvin’s hands scramble across the bedsheets, mewling loudly, and Jack leans down to attack his neck with his mouth once more. He hears Anti groan loudly behind them as he watches the two men and smiles against the feline’s neck. 

 

“M-master,” they hear Marvin say, “please! I-I need-- I want--” Jack sucks harder on a previously inflicted hickey, and the feline cries out in pleasure. Marvin’s hands scramble across his back, sharp nails, almost like claws, scratch down his skin, and Jack is sure that he’ll have bright red marks decorating it later.

 

“Tell me,” Jack responds, licking at the abused skin as he pulls away, “Tell me what you need.” Jack pumps them even faster, and Marvin whines; the pitch high as it passes through his throat. Marvin reaches down to still Jack’s hand, and Jack’s about to apologize thinking he crossed the line somewhere, but the feline kisses him briefly before pulling back and looking into Jack’s eyes.

 

“Fuck me,” Marvin requests, and Jack’s breath catches in his throat. Anti stiffens behind him, and they both stare back at the feline as their brain tries to catch up with what he just asked. 

 

Jack has to swallow a couple times, throat suddenly dry, before he responds. “Are you sure? We don’t have to if…” Marvin nods and grips Jack’s biceps. “You’re gonna have to say it, Marv.”

  
  


Marvin considers Jack for a moment, panting heavily, and he bites his own lip when Jack’s thumb presses against the vein near the head of his cock. The feline pulls Jack down into a soft, sensual kiss, and Jack groans into it. After a moment, the kiss is broken, but Marvin keeps Jack’s face close to his own. 

 

“Please. Fuck me, Jack,” Marvin asks again, lips brushing against each other when he speaks, and both Jack and Anti groan loudly. Jack presses his body flush with Marvin’s, hand moving out of the way so they can grind against each other properly, and Marvin mewls at the sudden friction. Marvin’s hands scramble to Jack’s back again, and Jack shoves his tongue back into Marvin’s mouth. Anti asks Jack where he keeps the lube, voice breathless, and Jack breaks away just enough to direct Anti to the bathroom and to grab condoms before diving back into that wet cavern. 

 

Jack feels Anti get off the bed and takes the moment to slide down Marvin’s torso till his mouth is hovering over the hardened member that’s leaking precum. He darts out his tongue, licking at the white bead formed there before closing his lips over the tip and sucking. Marvin’s hands dart out, fingers weaving through Jack’s hair, and Jack moans. Hips buck up into Jack’s mouth, and Jack moves one of his hands to the feline’s hips to keep them still. The other hand drifts to Marvin’s balls and rolls them between his fingers, and Jack lets his mouth slide down the side of Marvin’s cock as his tongue traces the vein there. He keeps moving south until he gets to the skin between his balls and asshole and licks the spot there. Marvin is tossing his head back and forth as Jack moves his hand to wrap around the feline’s dick and begins to stroke. 

 

Jack jumps when Anti suddenly presses his body against his own, and he instantly feels the man’s cock pressing against the crack of his ass. The man must’ve removed his sweats when he went to the bathroom, Jack muses, and he presses back into Anti’s groin. The reptile hisses in response and rocks his hips forward before handing the man the retrieved bottle of lube.

 

Jack opens the container, hands shaking as Anti’s own palms and fingers glide and grope at his ass, thighs, chest, and stomach and pours some of the slick substance onto his fingers. After warming up the lube, Jack traces Marvin’s entrance with a finger before pushing it in all in one go. Marvin moans at the intrusion, body arching into the air as Jack curls the digit, and the feline raises a hand to bite on his fingers to keep the moans from escaping so soon. His other hand is resting on top of Jack’s freed one, and Jack moves his hand enough to where their fingers intertwine. The tail is thumping on the bed like a drum, and Jack smiles against Marvin’s dick as he watches his face through hooded eyes. 

 

Jack gasps, eyes widening, as he feels a set of slick fingers against his own asshole, and he turns his head around to find Anti staring back. His eyes are dark, but there’s a question there and doesn’t move until he gets an answer. Jack swallows and nods after a moment, telling the serpent to be gentle, and Anti nods in agreement. One finger pushes into him, and the pressure is weird but nice. Anti leans forward and peppers Jack’s neck and shoulder with kisses to distract him from the intrusion, and Jack sighs happily at the attention. 

 

“M-more. Give me more, Jack,  _ please. _ ” Marvin whimpers, and Jack obliges immediately, pushing another finger into him, and the feline thrusts into the air before fucking himself back onto Jack’s fingers. Jack scissors the digits, thrusting them in and out, and soon Marvin shouts and when Jack finds his prostate. He brushes the soft spot again and again, the other thrashing from pleasure, and Jack is entranced by the feline’s reaction.

 

Another finger presses into his own entrance, immediately finding his own prostate, and Jack’s hips buck before slamming down onto Anti’s hand. “A-Anti, Marv,  _ shit _ guys, holy fuck..” Anti hums, lips pressed to the back of his neck, and Marvin mewls above him. Clawed fingers run through Jack’s hair from the praise, and Jack responds by pushing in a third finger. Anti mimics the motion by pushing the next digit into him and continues to abuse his prostate. Jack closes his eyes against the pleasure racing up and down his spine. The shocks end straight at his cock, causing it to twitch, and Anti reaches around to start stroking the pulsing member. Jack whines high in his throat and thrusts into Anti’s hand.

 

“M-Master, please!” Marvin cries out, and it takes a large amount of effort to redirect his attention back to prepping the feline.

 

“Fuck, Marv, one more. Let me get one more in you.” Marvin raises his hips in response, exposing his asshole more to Jack, and Jack quickly pushes the last digit into him. He pumps his fingers into the feline at the same pace as Anti’s strokes on his cock, and Marvin is meeting him with each push. Anti pushes his fourth finger into him, and soon both Jack and Marvin are a  panting mess. By the time they’re done prepping, Jack has both an equal desire to fill Marvin along with being filled by Anti. He kisses Marvin’s thighs and asks the feline if he’s ready. The cat responds by grabbing its own thighs, pulling them back towards his face, and spreading them. The entrance is stretched taut around Jack’s fingers, pink, wet, and swollen, and Jack nearly comes from the sight alone. Anti curses loudly beside Jack’s ear. A long forked tongue quickly darts out over Jack’s shoulder and instantly begins to lick at the stretched ring around Jack’s fingers. Marvin gasps and bucks his hips, body tingling at the sensation and slowly driving him mad with want and need.

“Oh god, oh  _ GOD,  _ oh fuck--FUCK. PLEASE, oh god, Jack, Anti,  _ PLEASE.” _ Jack instantly scrambles into position, fingers pulling out, and Anti’s hand slips from his ass. His vision darts around, looking for a condom, but doesn’t have the chance to find one before Anti’s hands are on his cock again. Jack gasps and looks down to see hands working a condom open and slipping it onto his cock. He thrusts into Anti’s hand as he strokes a lubed palm over his shaft and whines as it pulls away. 

  
  


Shaking his head, Jack takes his cock into his own hand, lines up with Marvin’s exposed asshole, and pushes in. The greedy entrance sucks the head of his cock into his body, and soon Jack is bottoming out against the feline. Marvin’s head is thrown back in ecstasy, mouth hung open, eyes shut tightly, and Jack is resting his forehead on the man’s chest keeping his hips as still as possible while the feline adjusts to him. Marvin mewls at him, begs him to start moving, and Jack is about to comply when he feels another set of hands on his own hips. 

 

Jack looks over his shoulder to see Anti looking at him with those same dark eyes, lips parted as desire pumps through his body, and Jack nods giving him permission to continue. His body shudders as Anti doesn’t waste any time pushing his cock inside him, and Jack’s eyes flutter shut as he thrusts all the way in one go. Though all of them are the same average size, it’s still a lot to take into his body, and Jack’s hips stutter and shift as his ass adjusts to the new object inside him. Anti gives Jack about a solid minute to adjust before he finally pulls out until just the head rests inside him. He pulls Jack’s hips back with him a bit, forcing him to pull out of Marvin halfway, before thrusting hard back into him. 

 

The momentum forces Jack to thrust into the feline, and all three men groan low and deep at the same time. Jack has about a moment to recover before Anti does it again and tries to hold on for the ride as Marvin cries out below him and Anti grunts with each thrust. 

 

The pace picks up quickly, all of them already near the breaking point when they first started fucking, and soon they’re a drooling mess as they let instincts take over. Jack’s ass takes a pounding, cock thrusting into him at breakneck speed, and combining it with the sensation of fucking another person has Jack being shoved to the brink at an unbelievable speed.

 

It doesn’t take long, a few minutes maybe, but as Marvin releases his legs to wrap both them and his arms around him, and Anti biting and sucking at his neck and shoulders as he pounds into his ass has Jack flying over the edge, sending him into a hot and fast orgasm, and Jack bucks his cock hard into Marvin as his cum fills the rubber and asshole surrounding his dick. 

 

Marvin shouts loudly at the sensation in his ass and quickly follows Jack over the edge. His seed paints both his and Jack’s stomachs with cum, and the sight of the two men have Anti following them soon after; hips slamming once, twice into Jack before Jack feels the warmth fill up his ass. Anti bites hard into Jack’s shoulder, fangs sinking in all the way, and Jack cries out at the bite. It’s more from the shock factor rather than the pain, and something in the back of his mind is grateful for it. 

 

Their breaths are heavy, bodies occasionally twitching from the aftershocks, and soon they all collapse on top of one another. It takes a few minutes for Anti to find the strength to get up and pull out of Jack. He takes off the condom and ties it before throwing it away into a small trash can beside the night stand. Jack pulls out of Marvin, does the same with his rubber, and walks into the bathroom to grab a warm, damp towel. Anti collapses on the bed, and Marvin focuses on catching his breath. 

 

Jack walks back into the room and cleans Marvin before moving over to give Anti the same treatment. Anti immediately snatches the towel from his hands and pulls Jack down on top of him. Jack catches himself, propping himself up on his forearms, and frowns at the serpent. The reptile smiles back at him, fangs showing, and drags the towel down Jack’s back before teasing at his asshole. Jack whines at the over stimulation and lets his head fall forward until it’s resting on Anti’s shoulder. He eventually tells him to stop, saying that it’s too much, that he can’t handle it, and Anti chuckles before pulling the fabric away and tossing it to the floor. His hands, instead, go to Jack’s hips and he maneuvers the man until they’re laying on their sides. Marvin presses up against Jack from behind, arms wrapping around his waist, and Anti snuggles close until they’re nose to nose and legs are tangled with one another. Anti throws his arm over Marvin’s, and Jack moves his hands until they’re pinned between his and Anti’s chest. 

 

“...Gonna need a shower,” Jack manages to say, sleep quickly catching back up to him, and Anti hums.

 

“Yeah… Later,” Anti replies, and Jack can’t help but agree. They both snicker as they hear that Marvin is already snoring, and they close their eyes to join him for a mid-morning post-sex nap.

When they all fully wake up again, it’s high noon, and Jack’s ass is sore when he stands. Anti chuckles, pleased with himself, and Jack sticks his tongue out at him. The serpent responds in kind, and Jack tells them both to go take a shower. Anti grumbles but accepts the request. Marvin is more reluctant.

“What?! No! I hate the water!” Marvin protests.

 

“We’re in human form. The water won’t bother you as badly,” Anti replies, getting out of bed.

 

“You don’t know that! You’re not a cat!” Anti walks over to his side of the bed despite the felines protests.

 

“Tough shit. We reek of sex. We’re going to take a shower,” concludes Anti, and Marvin yelps as he’s suddenly picked up bridal style. Marvin squirms, demanding the snake to put him down, and Jack can’t help but watch sympathetically as the bathroom door shuts behind the two men; muffled shouts never ending as the he hears the shower turn on.

 

Jack changes into a fresh set of boxers and sleep shirt before he begins to change the soiled bed sheets with fresh ones.

 

As he finishes dressing up the bed, Anti and Marvin return to the bedroom. Jack turns around to greet them but words stop in his throat, and it takes all of Jack’s effort to not burst out laughing at the sight. Marvin, for better lack of words, looks exactly like a wet cat that accidentally fell into a pool of water. His hair is wet, sticking up in all directions, and ears flat against his head in annoyance as his tail sways angrily behind his legs. The longer he stares at the feline, the harder it is to hold back, and soon Jack is bending over in laughter. 

 

Marvin hisses and tells Jack to shut up, but Jack only laughs harder. Anti ruffles the feline’s hair, telling him he’s all squeaky clean now, and the cat swipes at offending hand with clawed fingers. “You know how it is,” Anti tells Marvin, “When we’re humans, we have to do human things. That includes taking showers.” Marvin simply flips him off, and Jack finally gets his laughter back under control. He grabs them some fresh clothes, not too different from what they were wearing previously, and lets them change as he heads out to the kitchen. Jack figures that he should make them lunch since they fucked/slept through breakfast, and he decides that he’ll take a shower after they finish their meal. The duo come out into the living room a few minutes later, and Anti turns on the TV while Marvin uses his cat tongue to groom his wet tail wanting to get the moisture off of it as soon as possible. 

 

In an attempt to improve the felines mood, Jack asks what he would like for lunch. Marvin pouts but eventually says that he would like fish. He recalls that he has some fish sticks in the freezer and questions if that would be enough to suffice until he goes to the store. Marvin accepts the offer and Jack smiles. He hugs the feline from behind, kissing him on the side of his head as Marvin sticks his lower lip out in annoyance, but Jack can hear the quiet purrs when he’s this close knows that Marvin is already feeling better.

 

He goes to the kitchen and preps the oven for the frozen fish as Anti flips through the channels before stopping on a game show. Time passes, and as Jack closes the oven and sets the timer, a metal sound against the front door catches his attention. Jack turns to see a pile of white envelopes and colorful advertisements resting on the floor notifying him that his mail just arrived for the day. 

 

He walks over and picks up the various letters and notifications and sifts through the pile. Jack stops when he sees a postcard from a local vet clinic reminding Jack that his cat was due for some shots. He blinks once, twice, and looks up and towards the feline still grooming himself. 

 

“... Hey, Marvin?” The mentioned man looks up and over his shoulder at the sound of his name. “So. You’re part cat, right?” Marvin’s stare turns into a ‘no-shit-sherlock’ scowl, and Jack looks down at the postcard once more before turning it around and showing the feline. “Do you still need these?”

 

It takes Marvin a minute to realise what he’s holding, and the moment he understands what Jack’s holding is when his eyes widen in shock. Anti looks back at Jack and sees the card. The serpent is quicker to put two-and-two together and begins full on belly laughing. 

 

Dread covers Marvin’s face, and Jack sighs as he grabs his cell phone and dials the clinic to make an appointment. “Never a dull day with you two,” Jack whispers to himself as Marvin cries out a loud ‘NOOOOOOOOOO!’ in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More characters will be introduced in the next few chapters, so I hope you stick around! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marvin has to go to the vet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome Back!

“NO! You can’t make me! I refuse!”

 

Anti and Jack sigh as Marvin pouts while sitting on the couch and crossing his arms over his chest. Jack had made the appointment a few days prior, and now the day had come to take Marvin to the vet. The feline refuses to turn back into his animal form as it’s his last line of defense from the inevitable office visit.

  
  


~*~

Episode 5: Make Sure you find a Reliable Veterinarian

~*~

  
  


“You can’t go outside looking like how you are now,” Anti explains, “It’ll draw too much attention. Marvin huffs and avoids Anti’s stare.

 

“C’mon, Marvin. I don’t want you getting sick. It’s one of your last set of shots, and I want you to be healthy,” Jack insists, and the feline whimpers.

 

“But that place is scary. I don’t like it there,” whines the feline, and Jack frowns in sympathy.

 

“We’ll be with you every step of the way,” Anti replies, and Jack turns his head to look at him. 

 

“You want to come, too?” Jack asks.

 

“Is that a problem?” The serpent responds, and Jack says it’s not an issue. He’s just surprised. “I won’t turn into a snake. I can get away with my eyes by saying they’re cosplay contacts, and as long as I don’t talk to much, no one will notice my fangs and tongue. Marvin, however..” Both men look at the feline, noting his white ears and tail, and Marvin frowns. 

 

“I can’t help it! It’s a fixed look! I can’t change their appearance!” Marvin shouts at them, and Jack holds his hands up apologetically before kneeling down and resting his hands on the feline’s thighs. 

 

“I’m really sorry, Marvin, but we need to get this done. The quicker we do this, the quicker it’s over and we can come back home and cuddle up on the couch. How about it? Does that sound like a good idea?”

 

Marvin whines, eyes tearing up, and eventually sighs in defeat. He mumbles that he wants a big cuddle session, and Jack happily agrees before pulling away to give Marvin some space.

  
  


“You’ve never seen us actually change before, have you?” Anti asks, and Jack shakes his head ‘no’ as Marvin gets to his feet. 

 

Jack feels the air shift, just like that first night, and suddenly there’s a white flash. When Jack blinks the spots out of his eyes, he looks down to see a pile of clothes on the ground with a large lump in the middle. The bump moves, and soon his white fluffy cat walks out from the collar of the sweater. 

 

The creature looks up at Jack, bright seafoam eyes staring up at him, and it meows. Jack stares in awe before leaning down to pet the cat’s fur, and the feline presses into his hand purring happily. Soon after, Jack picks up the feline and lets it cuddle into his chest. “Wow,” Jack whispers.

 

“What is it?” Anti inquires. 

 

“It’s just… I know what you are, and I believe you, but to see it first hand…” Jack explains, and Anti watches his face as a trickle of fear that Jack might be afraid or even disgusted at what he’s seen works its way into the serpent’s head. Anti turns his gaze slightly and hides his expression. 

 

“It’s amazing.”

 

Anti’s eyes widen at Jack’s response, and he looks back at the man. The owner’s eyes indeed reflect wonder and fascination, and that fear in Anti’s head leaves his mind just as quickly as it appeared. “...Really?”

 

“Yeah,” Jack confirms and turns towards him. “I mean, this is probably natural for both of you, but for me this really seals the deal, ya know? And, like, it’s weird. Anyone else would probably freak out over this, but that moment never really hit me besides your sudden appearance in my bed that first day. Is.. is that strange?”

 

Anti looks back at Jack and considers him. He’s never quite met a human like Jack before. True, he’s never revealed himself either, but through all of the horror stories he’s heard from others like him, Anti has always assumed the worst in people. 

 

But then Jack smiles at him, and its brightness is enough to shatter all of those stereotypical stories and assumptions. Anti hums and tells Jack that it’s fine, that the reaction is a nice change of pace, and Jack sighs in relief. 

 

“We should get going,” Jack suggests. Anti helps gathers his things since his hands are full, and the door shuts with a ‘click’ behind them. 

 

The drive is brief, the clinic being about a 10 minute ride away from Jack’s house, and soon they’re inside the building. Anti’s nose flairs at the smell of disinfectant but otherwise says nothing. They walk up to the counter and the nurse at the welcome station greets them. She looks at them in shock for a brief second before making the comment that she wasn’t aware the substitute veterinarian had family in the area. Jack and Anti share a look before turning back to the woman. “Substitute veterinarian?” Jack inquires, and the nurse explains that Jack’s main doctor had a family emergency last minute. The office called in a sub to fill his place until the other returned, but she insures them that the doctor is highly qualified and that he’s been helping out the clinic in his spare time for a while now; mainly making house-calls which explains why Jack has never seen him. 

 

Jack accepts the explanation and finishes the check-in process before the duo takes seat in the waiting area. 

 

“What did you think she meant by looking like his family?” Jack asks Anti in a hushed whisper.

 

The serpent shrugs and reaches over to pet Marvin’s head as the feline curls up in Jack’s lap. “Who knows. We might mimic your appearance, but it’s also a small world. It’s easy enough to assume that everyone has a look-alike even if you’re not related by blood.”

 

Jack hums, accepting the answer, and soon the nurse calls them back into a private room. She tells them that the doctor will be with them shortly and leaves them be. Jack sighs and looks down at Marvin, petting his fur over and over in order to provide some sort of comfort. Even though he doesn’t move away from the attention, Marvin isn’t purring. His ears are pressed back against his head and his tail is tucked around his body. Anti moves over to lean against the wall and gazes through the room’s window to the outside world. Time passes and soon Jack is starting to doze in his chair. Marvin closes his eyes in attempt to get some rest, and Anti watches as people across the street play with their dogs in a nearby park.

 

Marvin and Anti’s heads perk up and immediately swivel towards the door, and Jack sits up with a start. “What is it?” Jack asks. Anti doesn’t respond, tasting the air instead, and his expression is that of disbelief. There’s no trace of fear there, however, only surprise. Marvin seems less scared but still worried, and soon there’s a knock on the door. The handle turns, and the door opens. 

 

Jack’s eyes fly wide open as the doctor steps into the room, and he can’t help but scoff via his own disbelief as he takes in the man’s appearance. He suddenly understands the nurses confusion of being the doctor’s family because the veterinarian is indeed, somehow, Jack’s double. He has brown hair, like Jack, and the man is wearing a white doctor’s lab coat, light blue vet uniform, and black framed glasses. Dress Jack up in the same outfit and he’s sure that you wouldn’t be able to tell the two of them apart. 

A thought bounces through his mind, something along the lines of still not having enough coffee to process all of this madness, and the doctor finally looks up from his clipboard as the door swings shut. The man is about to introduce himself when he finally takes in Jack’s appearance, and the words are cut short. He blinks once, then twice at Jack before moving his gaze to Anti and doing a double take. 

 

“Well, then. This is awkward,” the man speaks after a moment, “Greetings, Mr. McLoughlin, I am Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein.”

 

Jack blinks and immediately recalls the name on the vet card his former coworker gave to him on the night of the party. “Wait,  _ you’re _ Henrik?!”

 

The doctor looks back at him in surprise. “You know me?”

 

“Yeah,” Jack explains, “I got your card from a friend of mine before he moved away. He was Anti-- my snake’s former owner.” 

 

Henrik stares at Jack a moment before he looks back at Anti, and Jack worries that he slipped up. The Doctor sighs and looks back at Jack while pointing at Anti as he does so. “You mean that snake right there?”

 

Now Jack is really confused. “...I...um. About that..”

 

Anti sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “It’s okay, Jack. I know him.”

 

“It’s been a while, Anti. I hope all has been well with you,” Henrik states, and Anti hums.

 

“More or less. Thought you disappeared off the face of the map a while ago, though. You’re suddenly playing doctor again?”

 

Henrik sighs. “As peaceful as it was, there’s only so much solitude I can handle before even the quietness of it drives me crazy. However, I didn’t want to practice full time. I just volunteer my services as needed. I wasn’t ever expecting to run into you, though.” 

 

Jack’s eyes bounce back and forth between the two men as they converse, and Jack looks down to meet Marvin’s equally confused stare. Anti turns to Jack, and Jack sits a little straighter in his chair.

 

“Jack, this is Henrik. He’s treated me before in the past, and he also knows what I am and what Marvin is. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I do trust him. He’s a good man.”

 

“You flatter me,” Henrik adds.

 

“Shut up.”

 

Jack glances between the two men once more, and new questions form in his mind. “Wait, Anti, I don’t understand. I thought you never revealed yourself to another human before.”

 

The serpent’s eyebrows furrow with confusion. “...I haven’t. Like I said earlier, you’re the first.”

 

Jack blinks. “Uh… Wait, what?”

 

“I’m a hybrid just like these two,” Henrik explains, and for some reason that comes as a shock to Jack.

 

“Don’t call us that. I hate that word,” Anti mumbles, and Jack fears he’ll get whiplash from bouncing his gaze between the two.

 

“Wait, hold on!” Jack exclaims, “Why do you look like me, then?!”

 

Henrik seems just as genuinely confused on the dilema. “I’m not quite sure, actually. I took this form years ago, being comfortable in its appearance, and never had the desire to change it. Nor do I wish to, I might add. Just because we look alike does not give me a good enough reason to change. 

 

Jack’s head is reeling, but he manages to mumble out a ‘it’s fine’ before looking down at Marvin. The feline has been observing everything quietly, but now he looks less scared and more curious than anything else. 

 

Henrik considers Jack another moment before turning to Anti. “I am curious, Anti. Why him?”

 

Anti looks at the doctor before breaking the eye contact and turns to look back outside. “...Just felt like it.”

 

The doctor huffs, sensing that he won’t get a more detailed explanation, and turns back to Jack. He looks down at the cat, and Jack feels it stiffen beneath his hands as the cat suddenly remembers why it’s here in the first place. Ears reflatten onto his head, and Jack sighs sympathetically as he begins to pet the cat once more. Henrik kneels before him and stretches out a hand to let Marvin sniff his scent. 

 

“Hello, Marvin,” the doctor greets him, “I promise that I’m going to make this as gentle and painless as I possibly can for you, alright? I’m one of you, and I know that this can be scary, but I know what I’m doing. It’ll be okay.” 

  
  


Marvin considers the doctor a moment before looking back up at Jack. He offers a small smile, reminding him that he’ll get all of the cuddles once he’s done, and Marvin stares at him a moment more before turning back to the doctor and meows in acceptance. Henrik smiles, the grin warm and genuine, and the doctor stands up. Jack follows and carries Marvin to the examination table. Anti watches from a distance from his position against the wall, and Jack comforts the feline in any way he can as Henrik preps the vaccinations. Marvin closes his eyes, mewling softly, as the first needle is gently pressed into his skin beneath the fur. Jack pets his head and ears as Henrik voices every action that he does so the cat isn’t startled by sudden movements. The second vaccination is done shortly after, and soon the needle pulls out. 

 

“You’re all done, Marvin,” Henrik explains, and the cat meows once as he curls up into Jack’s arms and chest. 

Jack scratches his ears and neck, whispering, “You did a great job, Marv. Thank you.” The cat begins to purr at Jack’s praise, eyes closed, and Jack smiles as he rubs his face into the soft fur. “I’m proud of you.”

Henrik stands off to the side near Anti and observes the scene before them, lost in his thoughts, before he speaks up. “He may be a little loopy for a bit, due to the side effects, but it should wear off in a couple hours. He can still change back, but it might be safer for him to remain in his animal form until the medication works through his system.”

“I understand. Thanks, doc,” Jack replies. Anti’s gaze never leaves Marvin’s form, and soon he’s walking over and taking the cat from Jack’s arms. Jack’s confused by the gesture, but lets Anti take Marvin. The serpent walks over to sit in the chair Jack previously occupied, and Jack watches as Marvin moves to curls up against Anti’s upper chest, neck, and shoulder. Anti buries his face into his fur, and suddenly Jack feels like he’s intruding on an intimate moment.

Jack feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to see Henrik beside him. “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to handle the paperwork in my office. Can you follow me, please?” Henrik asks, and Jack turns back to Anti with a silent question.

“It’s okay,” Anti assures him, “We’ll be right here.”

Jack nods and follows the doctor out the door, down the hallway, and finally entering the spare office of the vet clinic. Henrik closes the door and tells Jack to take a seat. He does so and watches the doctor sit down in his own office chair. The man stares at Jack a moment before running a hand over his face and sighing. 

 

“So. Not to be blunt, but who are you?” Henrik asks, and Jack blinks at him.

 

“Um… Jack? I mean, my actual name is Sean, but-” The doctor holds up his hand to stop him.

 

“That’s not what I meant. Let me explain,” Henrik adds and leans back in his chair, elbows on the armrests and fingertips pressed against each other in front of his chest. “I’ve known Anti for quite a long time, and, to be frank, he hates humans. The man has tolerated them long enough so that he can survive, but he’s never put any effort into actually getting to know them. Now, he’s suddenly walking around in his human form and socializing. Why is that?”

 

Jack considers it a moment before answering, “He said that he trusts Marvin.”

 

“You’re speaking about the cat, right?”

 

“Yeah. Anti told me that Marvin convinced him to show himself to me.”

 

Henrik stares at Jack for a long time, and Jack tries not to squirm at the intensity of it. He has no idea what’s running through the doctor’s mind, and Jack was not prepared for this when he first entered the clinic.

 

“They both presented to you,” Henrik clarifies, but Jack doesn’t get the impression that it’s a question.

 

“...’Presented’?”

 

“Revealed who they truly are,” the doctor explains. 

 

“Um. Yes, I suppose.”

 

The intense stare at Jack lasts for another minute before Henrik closes his eyes and sighs. “What the hell were they thinking?” Henrik mumbles to himself.

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.” Henrik pauses. “You’re not scared?”

 

Jack tilts his head in confusion. “Of what? Marvin and Anti? Why would I be?”

 

“Humans turning into animals and vise versa is a pretty good reason.” Silence fills the room for a good minute, and Henrik thinks that Jack has finally opened his eyes to the reality of the situation. The doctor starts running checklists of what he can do about Jack if the man suddenly decides to out them. He plans escape routes and places to live during the chaos of getting away from--

 

“And?”

 

His train of thought comes to an abrupt halt, and his eyes snap open in shock at Jack’s response. Henrik makes eye contact with Jack’s, and those baby blues shine with determination and a hint of annoyance.

 

“I’m not scared of neither them nor you, sir. Sure, it’s strange and isn’t something I’m use to yet, but that give me no grounds on which I can stand to say that I should be frightened. Unless you come after me with a knife or something, then I’ll never have a reason to be afraid of you, either.”

 

Henrik stares at Jack, disbelief and shock across his face, and the man recalls how Anti and Marvin behaved around their owner. Both were, indeed, comfortable around the man. The only fear on the feline’s face was that of being at the vet’s, and Anti was content enough to talk to Jack like they were…

 

Henrik blinks, and looks at Jack thoughtfully.

 

_ … equals. _

 

“...Some would call you foolish,” Henrik replies.

 

Jack’s smile could compete with the brightness of the Sun.

 

“How human of me to behave in such a way.” Jack proclaims, and the doctor snorts at the reply.

 

“Alright, then. Since you’re currently Anti’s and Marvin’s owner, I will give you my personal address to my home.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

Henrik pulls out a business card and turns it over. “Because this isn’t my official office. I’m subbing in for the main doctor that works here, but I have a private clinic in my home. I would like to become both yours and their official doctor-slash-veterinarian.”

 

Jack stares in disbelief as Henrik reaches for a pen and begins to write down what he presumes to be the location of the doctor’s house. “You want to be  _ my _ doctor?!”

 

“Yes, yours. I am an actual doctor, you know. That is the degree I actually obtained. The vet practice is something I do on the side, but I never actually got a degree for it. I built a reputation for myself, and as long as I do a good job, then people don’t look too closely.”

 

Jack scoffs at the doctor's explanation. “I feel that’s illegal on, like,  _ so _ many levels.”

 

“Again, that’s why people don’t look too closely. Too much paperwork.” Henrik finishes writing out the address and reaches his hand out to give the card to Jack. The other man stares at the thing still in shock.

 

“W-Wait a minute! I never agreed to this!” Jack exclaims.

 

“Why? Do you refuse?”

 

Jack stares at the card, glancing at Henrik before looking back at it, and Jack considers his options. Anti trusts him, but Marvin and Jack had just met the guy. It would be good to have someone know about their existence, but at the same time… 

 

“I.. only have pet insurance. The places they cover are limited. I don’t make enough money to pay you, so...” Jack explains.

 

“Do not worry,” Henrik assures Jack, “You’re taking care of Anti. That alone is enough to satisfy me. I get plenty of other clients to fulfill my needs of payment.”

 

Jack sighs, reaching up, and takes the card from his hand. “You really care about Anti, don’t you?”

 

“I do. For better or for worse, I’ve known him for quite a few years. When beings like us trust each other, the bond that forms is very difficult to describe. You saw it briefly back in the other room when Anti took Marvin from you. There is a need to comfort one another in times of crisis. The fact that he let you comfort him during the procedure tells me a lot about what he thinks of you as a person, Mr. McLoughlin.” Henrik stands up after saying this and walks around the desk to stand in front of Jack. He brings his hand up under Jack’s chin and tilts the man’s head up until blue eyes lock with his own. “I’m willing to give you a chance because of them. However, my defenses are still up when it comes to you. The reason I wish to be your doctor is so that I can keep both an eye on them and on yourself. Please understand that, as a species, we’re very protective of one another. We all lived our lives knowing that humans hate new concepts and change.”

 

Henrik watches Jack’s face as he considers him, and the brows on Jack’s face furrow together in frustration. “...You’re wrong.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I said ‘you’re wrong’. Look, sir, with all due respect, I do understand where you are coming from. The world sucks, humans suck, but until you can tell me that you’ve met everyone on this planet, then don’t assume that every human is a bad person. Anti and Marvin entered my life when I didn’t know that I needed them too. Maybe I’m still processing all of this, sure, but you know what? Everything I have observed and understood so far has yet to give me a reason to assume that any of this is wrong.”

 

Henrik glares at Jack. “Those two are foreign beings.”

 

“Those two are my  _ family. _ ” Henrik’s eyes widen in shock at Jack’s declaration. “And you know what? Regardless of bloodlines,  _ I love them _ , and I’ll never abandon them.  _ Ever _ . If we part, then it’s on their terms, not because I forced them too. So, doc, until you actually get to know me, quit assuming that I despise all of you!”

 

“... I don’t believe you.”

 

“I never asked you too,” Jack continues, “Just like I’ve never asked Anti. I’ll never force him, nor anyone, to do what they don’t want to do. I just want to simply exist without hating each other. Is that too much to ask?”

 

Henrik takes a few minutes to search Jack’s face, to give the doctor any indication of malice or deception reflecting in his expressions. 

 

He finds none. 

 

“Who  _ are  _ you?” Henrik asks Jack once again.

 

“A cashier at a local grocery store.”

 

The doctor stares at Jack in disbelief, the other maintaining a strong poker face, and the doctor snorts before bursting into a fit of giggles. The hand drops away from Jack’s chin as he doubles over in laughter, and Jack’s afraid that the poor doctor has finally lost his mind. 

 

Henrik catches his breath, a few chuckles still escaping, and he walks back around the desk to take a seat in his office chair once more. “The nurse will have the paperwork you need to sign at the front desk,” Henrik explains, “Please be sure to do so before leaving the clinic.” 

 

Jack nods and stands, turning to face the door, and he places his hand on the doorknob. He stops short from opening it and looks back over his shoulder. “About your offer..”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I’ll talk with Anti and Marvin about it. If we do decide to come to you, then it’s because we all chose to, not just myself.”

 

“Do I get no say in the matter?” Henrik inquires.

 

Jack huffs a laugh. “You already did. The offer was your say in it. I’ll let you know what we decide.” Jack pauses before asking a question. “May I ask you something personal?”

 

“Depends on what it is,” Henrik replies.

 

“What part animal are you?”

 

“Straight to the point, then.”

 

“You don’t have to answer.”

 

Henrik considers Jack one moment longer before he speaks. 

 

“... Dove. I’m part White Dove.”

 

Jack smiles at the response. “It suits you. Thank you, Doc.”

 

“You’re welcome. Now, get out of my office. I have other clients to attend to.” 

 

Jack laughs, says goodbye, and turns the handle.

 

“Anti! Jaysus, man, you scared me.” Jack opened the door to find the serpent standing right in the entryway. Marvin is asleep in his arms, and Jack looks up at his face to see a peculiar expression. His snake eyes are wide, sharing the same shocked expression as Jack, and almost seems surprised to see Jack as Jack is to see Anti. “What are you doing here?” Jack asks the serpent, “I thought you were waiting in the room.”

 

Anti snaps out of his stupor and apologizes, saying that Jack was taking a while and wanted to check up on him. Jack apologizes in return for holding them up and explains that he just has to sign some forms at the front desk. Once he’s done, they can go home. Anti nods, accepting the explanation. They both look back at Henrik and bid him one more goodbye before heading down the hallway.

 

Henrik stares at the spot where they once stood and reflects over the conversation he had with Jack.

 

_ ‘Sure, it’s strange,’ _ Jack’s words echo in his head, ‘ _ but that give me no grounds on which I can stand to say that I should be frightened.’ _

 

Henrik closes his eyes, and a small smile forms on his lips. “I’d say that you’re the strangest one of all, Mr. McLoughlin.”

 

Later that night, back at their home, Jack has just finished tucking Marvin into bed. He’s changed back into his human form, butthe events of the day have worn the feline out. Anti comes quietly into the bedroom, and Jack greets him in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake Marvin. He makes the motion to start crawling into bed when Anti stops him. “Anti? What’s wrong? Is everything alright?” Anti is holding his hand, preventing him from going away, and Jack can tell that the serpent is searching his eyes for something. “...Anti?”

 

“Did you mean it?”

 

Jack blinks at the question. “I… I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

 

Anti opens and closes his mouth a couple times, trying to come up with either the words or the courage to ask...something. “You…. Do you really see us as your family?”

 

It takes a second to process what Anti asks, and Jack blushes a deep red when he realizes why Anti was shocked while standing at the doctor’s doorway. “Y-You were listening?!” Jack instantly slaps a hand over his own mouth and looks back to make sure that Marvin didn’t wake up from Jack’s shout. Snores were still coming from the feline, and Jack sighs a breath of relief. He looks back at Anti, and his gaze is still searching Jack’s face. Jack swallows before continuing. “I… Well, yeah. I do. Is… is that okay? I kinda said it in the heat of the moment, but...”

 

Anti is silent for a moment, but Jack can feel his thumb starting to rub circles into his hand. “...And you love us?”

 

Jack wasn’t entirely sure he could blush harder than this, but some part of him was sure that Anti was determined to test those limits. “O-Of course, I do.”

 

“Say it.”

 

Jack blinks at the order. “Come again?”

 

Anti raises his other hand to cup Jack’s face, pulling him close. “I want to hear you say it, and not from behind a door.”

 

Jack trembles slightly at the sound of Anti’s voice; it sounds almost desperate. His hands are resting on the serpent’s bare chest, and Jack licks his chapped lips before responding.

 

“I… love you.” Jack feels Anti let go of his hand so it can wrap around his waist. The serpent pulls Jack closer, bodies aligning, and foreheads rest against each other. He looks into Anti’s eyes, and Jack sees something broken in them. Jack’s eyes droop in sympathy, and he reaches up to cup Anti’s face in his own hands. “Hey...I’ll never ask you to look at me the same way. Don’t tell me that you love me if you don’t mean it, and don’t consider myself family if you don’t feel it. I.. I don’t know how the dynamics of you guys work, but I’m willing to learn. I want to give it a try.” He brushes away the moisture formed on the corner of Anti’s eye, and the serpent blinks and tries to turn his head away to hide the tears. Jack keeps his face still, though Anti could break away if he truly wanted to, and Jack coos at him. “Hey, it’s okay. I still love you. I love you, Anti.”

 

The serpent's breath hitches, catching in his throat, and he pulls Jack in for a kiss. There’s no tongue, no urgency, but Anti still manages to pour all his feelings into Jack. Jack keeps his hands around the other’s face, thumb brushing away the tears that fall, and soon Anti breaks the kiss and buries his face into the crook of Jack’s neck. They wrap their arms around each other, and Jack whispers nothing but praises and acceptance. 

 

They stay there for a long time, standing in the dark room, but Jack eventually convinces Anti to come to bed. Jack settles in beside Marvin, and Anti spoons up behind him instantly. Jack sighs as Anti pulls him close together, and Jack let’s his fingers trace soft patterns into Anti’s arm. 

 

The silent tears eventually stop, and Jack closes his eyes with his heart full of emotions. He knows that it’ll take a while to process and understand everything, but he knows that he’ll have Marvin and Anti to help him along the way. With the assistance of Dr. Schneep, as Jack has come to call him, he knows that he’s not alone in this strange new world, and with that knowledge, Jack finally drifts off to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Good Doctor has arrived!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Should you so choose, let me know what you think! I'm still new to this 'writing stories' thing. If there's stuff you like/don't like/or see something I can improve on, please let me know!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Jack, Anti, and Marvin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome Back!  
> The amount of Domestic fluff in this chapter may or may not drown you, so make sure to take a deep breath before reading.

Jack is standing in the entrance of his home, dressed in flamingo shorts, a sleep shirt, hair a mess from sleep, and he’s holding the door open as he looks in disbelief at the man standing outside his house. The man is dressed in a white button-up, tan cardigan, black slacks, brown dress shoes, and a very familiar pair of black framed glasses. He has a newspaper rolled up and tucked under his arm, one hand holding a cup of coffee from a nearby shop, and the other is tucked comfortably into his pant’s pocket.

 

“Good morning, Mr. McLoughlin,” Henrik greets him.

 

Jack feels his eye twitch. _ “IT’S BEEN TWO DAYS!” _

  
  


~*~

Episode 6: Observing A Pet’s Behavior Helps You Understand How They’re Feeling

~*~

  
  


Jack pours himself a cup of coffee, taking a sip of the warm beverage, and turns around to face the doctor who’s made himself at home at the dining table. Henrik sits, legs crossed, and has the newspaper unfolded in front of him as he sips on his own coffee. “Why are you even here?” Jack asks the man, and the doctor looks up at him.

 

“I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by,” Henrik replies simply. Jack doesn’t believe a word of it.

 

“At seven in the morning? On a Saturday? How did you even know where I lived?”

 

“That’s simple,” the doctor explains, “It was on the documents you signed at the clinic the other day. I do have to sign them, too, you know? I just happened to ‘accidentally’ write it down.”

 

Jack scoffs in disbelief. “Again, pretty sure that’s illegal.”

 

“Ah, yes, but I don’t officially work there, either.”

 

Jack sighs and rubs his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t think that justifies any of this,” he mumbles to himself. Henrik must’ve heard him anyway because he hums in agreement but doesn’t comment further on the matter.

 

Anti and Marvin choose this moment to enter the kitchen. The serpent is half awake, shirtless, and he yawns a ‘g’mornin’’. Marvin is standing behind him, holding one of Anti’s arms as he stares cautiously at their guest, and greets the two men as well. The serpent raises an eyebrow when he’s awake enough to spot the doctor, and Henrik returns the ‘good morning’ greeting. 

 

Marvin asks Jack if they can have breakfast, and Jack apologizes for the wait.  Jack explains that it’s been a busy morning and tells him that he’ll start working on making it now as he turns to get some eggs and other ingredients from the fridge. The feline thanks him for preparing the food and follows Anti to sit down across from the doctor. 

 

“How are you feeling, Marvin? Has the effects of the vaccines worn off?” Henrik asks, and the feline nods with a ‘yessir’. “Glad to hear it.”

 

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Anti repeats Jack’s earlier question as he scratches his stomach.

 

“I was nearby and decided to stop and say hello,” Henrik explains. 

 

“You’re so full of shit,” Anti replies, and Jack snorts. Anti smiles at Jack’s reaction.

 

“Is that so hard to believe?” asks Henrik.

 

“I know how you operate. I’m not that stupid,” says Anti, and the doctor sighs as he gives up the ruse.

 

“I wanted to see where you lived and if it was a suitable environment for you,” the doctor explains, and Jack shouts an offended ‘Hey!’, but the two men ignore him.

 

Anti scowls at the man. “Not that it’s any of your damn business, but we’re perfectly content with this place. You know this.”

 

“True,” the doctor confirms, “Just consider it easing my own mind.”

 

“I’ll consider it as invading my territory, you damn pigeon,” Anti snaps back, and Henrik looks affronted at the nickname. Jack starts laughing over the stove, and Marvin tries to hold back his snickering. 

 

“‘Pigeon’-- I am a  _ dove _ , you overgrown earthworm!” Henrik retaliates, and Anti glares. 

 

“You fly around and shit on everyone’s cars like the rest of them, so I don’t see a difference.”

 

“I do no such disgraceful and disgusting thing!”

 

Jack and Marvin are having full blown laughing fits now. Jack’s bent over, hand on his stomach, trying and failing miserably to catch his breath, and Marvin’s head is resting against the table as his body shakes from the giggling.

 

Henrik huffs, blushing lightly, and composes himself by taking another sip of coffee. Anti his chuckling, laughing through his teeth.

 

“Whatever, man,” Anti states, “Just call us next time before you come over. It’s too damn early for surprise visits.” A ‘ _ See? Thank you!’  _ calls out from the direction of the stove as Jack finishes up the omelets, and Henrik sighs.

 

“My apologies. I’ll be sure to do so in the future,” Henrik agrees, and Jack announces that breakfast is ready. Marvin gets up to help carry the plates over to the table, and Henrik is surprised when Jack puts a plate of food in front of him. “You… made me breakfast?”

 

“Give me some credit, doc,” Jack explains, “I’m not that inhospitable. Just eat it before I change my mind.”

 

The doctor watches Jack as he sits down in his own chair before he smiles. “I’ll do that, then. Thank you, Mr. McLoughin.”

 

“Don’t call me that. It’s so formal. Just call me Jack,” the man requests, and Henrik agrees to the change. 

 

Soon, they’re all digging into their meals, and Henrik observes as Jack, Marvin, and Anti discuss the events they have planned today. Jack mentions that he has to clean the house and mentions vacuuming the carpet. Marvin whines, saying that the machine is loud in his ears, and Anti tells him to hide in Jack’s room during the event. The feline pouts, and Jack tells him that he’ll try to get it done as quickly as possible. Jack also mentions that he has to go to the store, and the duo request to go with him. The man is about to protest, but Marvin explains that he can hide his ears under a beanie, since it’s cold enough outside, and that he can curl his tail around his waist and hide it under the oversized sweater. Anti says that he can wear a scarf and sunglasses to hide his appearance should Jack wish for it, and the man huffs before agreeing to their compromise. They make plans to head to the store that evening while the sun is still up, and all four of them finish their meal.

 

Jack takes the dishes to the sink, and Marvin goes to the bathroom to take a sponge bath. It’s a compromise that they agreed to when Marvin kept protesting about the water, and Jack offered the sponge in attempt for the cat to bathe his human form properly. Anti joins him at the sink to help wash dishes, and Henrik watches as Jack protests the action. The serpent simply snatches the towel from Jack’s hands and begins to dry the cleaned silverware. The other huffs before returning to washing the plates and pans. They converse with themselves as they work, and the doctor determines that the scene is oddly domestic. 

 

Late morning arrives. Jack has finished vacuuming the house, and he coaxes Marvin out of the bedroom saying yes, he is indeed done and that the loud machine is stored back in the closet. The feline emerges from the bedroom, rubbing his ears, and Jack gives him a light kiss on the markings above his eyes as an apology. Anti is sprawled out on the couch, dozing, and not even bothered by the fact that Henrik has made himself at home in the living room’s recliner. The doctor observes the snake before looking over at the reptiles tank. He notes in amazement that, even if Anti is choosing to stay in his human form, Jack has been keeping the tank clean and up-to-date should the serpent wish to return to the container. 

 

Jack makes lunch, and the doctor is surprised that the man hasn’t asked him to leave the home despite the conversation that morning, but since Henrik wants to stay, he never brings up the subject. The meal is grilled cheese and tomato soup with everyone’s prefered choice of beverage. Henrik and Anti request tea whereas Marvin asks for some milk. Jack preps the beverages and preps himself his own cups; one of milk and one of coffee. 

 

Everyone digs into their meal, and Anti converses with Henrik. They talk about what they’ve been up to over the years, and Jack listens intently wanting to learn more about them as they eat. Marvin and Jack even chime in their own questions, and the two other men answer them to the best of their ability. The situation is nice, pleasant, and Henrik finds himself missing these types of moments like this. He doesn’t live alone, there’s a dog in his home that he loves, but he misses going out and socializing like this. He discovers that he doesn’t find it strange to be conversing with the human. Jack said that he sees them as people, not half breeds, and Henrik finds himself believing that that fact more and more as the day progresses.

 

Jack notices the doctor smiling at him, and he asks what’s on Henrik’s mind. The man smiles wider and assures Jack that it’s nothing, that he’s simply observing, and he goes back to sipping his tea. The doctor catches Anti’s stare over the rim of the cup, and finds himself surprised as the snake smiles warmly. The reptile can tell that the doctor is warming up to the idea of Jack being a permanent presence in their lives, and Henrik huffs while blushing into his tea.

 

It’s Marvin who volunteers to help with the dishes this time, and Jack gives him gratitude for the assistance. Anti goes to take a shower, and Henrik ends up working on the crossword in the newspaper as he sits in the recliner once more. Jack and Marvin soon join the doctor, and Jack turns on the TV to start playing video games. Marvin joins in occasionally but eventually rests his head on his owner’s lap. Henrik asks them now again for assistance with a clue, and both Jack and Marvin help out when they can. They get a couple right, and Henrik finishes the puzzle before going to work on the Sudoku puzzle. 

 

Evening arrives, and the three men who’ve been wearing pajamas all day have changed into a more appropriate attire. Marvin is dressed in a striped beanie with a floof ball on the end, blue jeans, a dark green oversized hoodie, and slip-on shoes. Anti is wearing a scarf, sunglasses, black t-shirt, ripped jeans, and a long winter coat. A sweater and jacket combo decorates Jack’s frame along with black skinny jeans, a pair of converse shoes, and a pair of reading classes similar to Henrik’s own.

 

The doctor isn’t sure if he’s invited along for the trip to the store, but before he can ask, Anti is grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door with them. Henrik huffs and smiles as they pile into Jack’s car and head down the road. 

 

Some people stare at their identical faces, but most ignore them when they get to the market. Marvin points out what fish to buy, being able to smell their freshness when they get to the meat department, and Anti asks if they can get some chicken or steak. Jack agrees as long as they pick some veggies to compliment it, and they agree to his terms. The man puts the ingredients in the cart and makes his way through the isles of the store. 

 

Anti and Marvin are intrigued by all of the various items humans sell, not being able to experience these places before since they stayed home in their pet form in previous years, and Jack does his best to answer any questions that they have. Henrik helps by giving them additional information, and Jack smiles thankfully at him for his input. The feline is fascinated by the multiple boxes of different types of cereal, and the serpent is staring intently at the various chocolate bars in the candy isle. Jack rolls his eyes and tells them that they can get  _ one _ item of their choosing. Marvin picks up a box of Froot Loops, intrigued by the various bright colors, and Anti picks up a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. Jack asks if Henrik would like anything, but the doctor politely declines. He says that he’s fine but appreciates the offer, and Jack accepts the gratitude before taking their now full cart to the cashier.

 

Once back home, Jack works on preparing dinner. He makes a dish of stuffed chicken and a side of potato salad while Anti and Marvin play video games. Henrik provides commentary, teasing Anti, and the snake hisses back at him as Marvin once again kicks his character’s ass. Anti is getting better, though. He wins an equal amount of rounds that he loses without having to sabotage Marvin’s controller, and the serpent smiles and flicks his tongue out as he realizes this. 

 

Dinner is served, and both Jack and Henrik listen as the other two talk animatedly about all that they’ve seen today. Jack promises to take them out more on his days off, maybe even the zoo, and he asks if that would be too weird. Marvin shakes his head, and Anti shrugs. Anti tells them that they’re not that bothered by the exhibit, that technically when they’re out and about like today, they’re surrounded by a zoo of humans. Being the half creatures that they are, they’re able to observe things both ways. Jack blinks, not quite understanding the logic, but agrees to take them to the zoo in the near future. The two men smile and thank him, and Jack smiles back saying that it isn’t any trouble at all. Henrik is smiling throughout all of this and he feels his defenses against Jack fall more and more against his will.

 

Jack tells them that he’ll teach the two how to browse the internet, along with grabbing some magazines from his work place, so that they can browse and discover what interests them. If they find something that they like, Jack will do his best to try and show them some local places reflecting their interest. Marvin gets excited at the idea, and Anti sips his tea in contentment with a smile on his face. 

 

One they’re finished, Jack gets up to collect the plates, and Henrik offers his assistance in helping with the dishes. Jack protests, telling him that guests shouldn’t do the chores, but the doctor is already grabbing the cups and silverware and heading to the sink. Jack huffs as Henrik starts washing the dishes and grabs a towel. They work in unison, talking about mundane stuff like the weather and local news, and Jack laughs as Henrik throws in a couple jokes and puns.

 

They make their way to the living room afterwards, all lights off besides a lamp on the small stand between the recliner and couch, and Jack throws on a movie. Anti and Marvin sit on either side of Jack, the feline instantly cuddling up against the man while the serpent rests against the armrest to get comfortable. Henrik settles back into the recliner, and the movie plays on. 

 

Halfway through the movie, the doctor looks over to find the trio fast asleep on the couch. Jack has leaned into Anti, the serpent’s arm draped loosely around the other’s waist, and Marvin has his head in Jack’s lap with a blanket draped over his form. Jack’s hand is resting on Marvin’s side over the blanket, and the other one has his fingers entwined with Anti’s. Henrik smiles at the sight before him before he slowly stands and turns off the TV and lamp. He quietly gathers his things and makes his way to the front door. 

 

The doctor senses a stare boring into the back of his head and looks over his shoulder to see a pair of snake eyes watching him closely from over the back of the couch. They stare at each other for a long time before Henrik speaks up; his tone hushed as to not disturb the others. “Are you happy here, Anti?” The snake stays quiet for a long moment, and Henrik thinks he’s not going to reply, so he faces the door and turns the handle when he hears it. The doctor blinks, a small smile forming on his lips, before he excuses himself and leaves. The man drives himself home and is greeted by a german shepard when he enters his house. He pets the dog and feeds him before retiring for the evening. The dog settles down at the base of his bed, and Henrik climbs onto the mattress. He shuts off the lamp on the nightstand, settles in, and closes his eyes. The doctor falls asleep with a smile on his face as all of the worries he had about Jack fade from his mind. He’ll still keep an eye on the them, but Henrik is happy by what he’s seen. The doctor ends up falling into a deep slumber and won’t wake up until late morning. 

 

Back at Jack’s home, Anti stirs the mentioned man awake enough to coax him to move to their bedroom. Jack stretches and yawns, asking where Henrik went, and Anti informs him that he left a while ago. Content with the answer, he lets Anti carry Marvin to bed as he stands up to lock up the place before following the duo. Jack settles in onto his back, Marvin curling up on one side of him and Anti on the other, before he falls back asleep. Anti listens as the two men begin to snore and stares at the side of Jack’s face. He traces Jack’s profile with hooded eyes.

_ Are you happy here, Anti? _

 

The reptile considers Jack a moment before wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him close. Jack sniffs, mumbles, and turns his head into Anti before snoring softly again, and the serpent presses his forehead to Jack’s and closes his eyes.

 

_ Yes. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! :3 Hope you have a good day!~


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter is here, and so are the Cardinals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm glad everyone's liking this so far! Thanks for all the love and support :D 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Okay, I’m off. Stay here until I get back, okay?”

 

“We will!” Marvin replies.

 

“Don’t let any psycho's kill you,” Anti adds.

 

Jack huffs, “Man, don’t even joke about that. See ya.” He shuts the door behind him and makes his way to his car. As he unlocks the vehicle, something red catches his eye. Jack looks up to see a bird, a beautiful red Cardinal, sitting in a nearby tree. The feathered creature is looking in Jack’s direction, almost directly at the man, and Jack blinks back at it in a combo of awe and confusion.

  
  


~*~

Episode 7: Make Sure to Bring Your Pets Inside Once Winter Comes

~*~

  
  


Eventually, the Cardinal flies away. Jack follows its flight path with his eyes before it disappears from sight and shakes his head as he gets into the car. 

 

The event quickly leaves his mind, the bird forgotten, until he sees it again mid afternoon. Jack has just finished dealing with another customer and business begins to slow down for a bit when he looks through the front store window. The Cardinal is perched in a tree across the street and is staring at Jack again. He raises his eyebrow and the feathered thing flies away when it notices Jack looking back at it.

 

Jack breaks his gaze away from the window when one of his coworkers tells him to go to lunch, and Jack closes up his register before heading to the break room. The space there has a door that leads outside to a back alley, and Jack grabs his lunch before stepping out into the cool air. The breeze nips lightly on his skin, but the sunshine compliments the weather. Jack smiles, sits on some nearby steps, and pulls out the sandwich he made at morning and begins to eat. 

 

A couple other coworkers come out now and then to have their breaks, but for the most part Jack is by himself and he welcomes the silence. He’s about to pull out a bag of chips when he hears a large thud on the roof above his head. Startled by the sound, Jack whips around and looks up. His eyes widen at what he sees.

 

A man dressed in a red hoodie, sunglasses, and a pair of jeans is perched on the edge of the roof. His legs are bent, and his arms, outstretched in front of him, are resting on his knees. He eclipses the sun, so Jack can’t get a good look at his face, and the man remains silent as he stares down at Jack from his perch.

Jack barely says ‘What the fuck-’ before another coworker opens the back door. The noise startles Jack, causing him to shout and look at the other worker before his eyes dart back up to the roof. The man is gone, disappearing just as quickly as he arrived, and his coworker ask what’s wrong, but Jack doesn't think he can offer a proper answer. Eventually, he tells the other that some sort of animal startled him and apologizes for worrying the worker.

 

The rest of his shift goes by uneventfully, and when Jack gets home, he gives Henrik a call on his cellphone.

 

“A Cardinal?” Henrik inquires after Jack explained what happened to him that day. “No, I don’t ever recall meeting one of us with that particular breed. That doesn’t mean that he isn’t one, but the way you describe it suggests that you might be onto something. I’ll be sure to look into it, but for now I wouldn’t worry about it. If anything, it sounds like he’s just curious about you. He probably smells Marvin and Anti on you.”

 

Jack blushes at the implication and coughs. “Okay, thanks Henrik. I appreciate it.”

 

“Anytime, Jack. Take care, now.”

 

“You too,” Jack replies, saying their farewells, and Jack ends the call. Anti walks into the kitchen freshly clean from taking a shower.

 

“Who was that?” the serpent asks, and Jack turns to face him.

 

“Henrik. Something weird happened at work today, and I wanted his thoughts on it,” Jack explains.

 

Anti raises his eyebrow. “What would he know about your workplace?”

 

“It’s more of what happened there rather than work itself. Anti, have you ever met a Cardinal?”

 

“What, like The Pope?” Anti smiles, and Jack glares when he knows that the serpent understood perfectly what he was asking.

 

“Hardy har har. No, I meant one of you guys.”

 

The reptile thinks for a moment. “No, can’t really say I have. Though, if I did, I’d probably eat him. Birds are tasty.”

 

Jack scoffs in disbelief. “Do you seriously eat birds?”

  
  


“Not always, but yeah.However, most snakes don’t eat steak and mash potatoes either, so I tend to be an outlier when it comes to reptilian diets.” Jack rolls his eyes at the explanation and puts the phone back in his pocket. “Why do you ask, anyway?” Anti questions.

 

“I think I met one today. Kinda. He was sitting on the roof of my store. He didn’t say anything, but he definitely seemed interested in me. I’m just curious about him, I guess.” Anti hums, satisfied with the answer, and Marvin enters the kitchen to join them.

 

“Were you guys talking about a bird?” The feline inquiries, and Anti turns to him.

 

“Yeah, apparently Jack is being stalked by a Cardinal,” Anti informs him.

 

The feline’s eyes light up. “OH! I caught one once a long time ago! They’re delicious.”

 

“That’s what I told Jack, but he just glared at me,” Anti explains, “Maybe we can go to work with him tomorrow to catch and eat it.”

 

“Oooh! Can I?!” Marvin asks Jack, and the man is staring at the two in shock and disbelief. 

 

“ _ No!” _ Jack replies, and Marvin actually pouts at the answer.

 

“Come on, please? I’ll even turn back into a cat! I like the challenge of the hunt.”

 

“I’ll help,” Anti adds, “I don’t mind turning back into a snake for this. Makes it easier to sneak up on my prey.”

 

Jack makes a noise of exasperation. “For fuck’s sake--  _ NO ONE IS EATING THE DAMN BIRD!” _

  
  


Weeks pass and Winter officially arrives. He’s all but forgotten about the bird incident and moved on with his life. Jack is walking alone down the street, returning from a late night grocery run, and a light flurry of snow is falling onto the ground. The man prefered walking the short distance from his home instead of driving because he enjoys the first part of winter where he can be outdoors in the snow before the chill of old man Winter settles into the area. Jack has a scarf wrapped around his face, beanie on his head, and his winter coat is wrapped around his frame keeping him warm. Gloved fingers hold the couple of bags carrying his purchased items as he walks down the sidewalk.

 

He’s humming a song to himself, a winter tune, when he spots a man slumped against a tree in a nearby park. Jack double takes when he notices what the person is wearing and stops in his tracks. A familiar red hoodie and blue jeans catches his attention, and Jack’s eyes widen as a rush of memories comes back to him.

 

Jack turns and starts walking towards the man, not realising what he’s doing until he’s already halfway there, and he figures there’s no turning back now. He realizes as he gets closer that the man is panting heavily, head turned down, and he’s holding his ribs. Jack quickly understands that the man is in pain and quickens his pace to get to the man’s side faster. 

 

The poor guy doesn’t even realize Jack is coming towards him until he’s is right next to him. He jerks away, startled by the sudden presence, when Jack calls out to him.

 

“Woah, easy there,” Jack holds his hands up in defense, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

 

“What the fuc- .. wait. I.. know you. You’re that cashier. Why are you here?” The man asks, still bent over, and Jack can’t see his face well still. 

 

“I saw you from across the way. You’re hurt. Do you want me to call an ambulance--”

 

“NO! Don’t-- not them.  _ Especially _ them. I-I’m fine. This is nothing I can’t handle,” the man protests, but his breathing gets harsher. 

 

“Dude, seriously, you need a doctor. You’re in a lot of pain, man, let me help you,” Jack replies. The man yells at Jack, telling him to back off, but his words cut short as pain shoots up his spine and makes him double over. Jack is immediately at his side, dropping his groceries in favor of catching the man before he falls face first into the snow, and it’s then Jack gets a proper look at the man’s face.

 

For some reason, Jack thinks, that events like this shouldn’t come to him as a surprise anymore. Yet, another double of himself has fallen into his arms, this time quite literally, and the man struggles to stand on his own before his body gives way and falls against Jack completely. Jack blinks, refocusing on the current situation, and he wraps his arms around the man to support him. He raises an eyebrow when he can feel something weird on the man’s back underneath the hoodie before the man groans loudly from the pain of his injuries. Jack calls out to him as the man passes out in his arms, and Jack has to shield his eyes as a bright, white flash envelops them. 

 

When Jack regains his vision, there’s a set of clothes laying in the snow and a round bump underneath the hood of the red sweater. Jack carefully pulls it back to reveal a red Cardinal passed out and laying on the soft material below. He notices its right wing is injured, and there’s a small, darker red spot against the feathers from a dried wound. 

 

Jack curses under his breath, quickly gathering his groceries, the clothes, and the bird before he rushes out of the park with his phone pressed to his ear. Henrik meets Jack at his house when he finally gets home, and the doctor immediately gets to work.

 

Hours pass when Henrik finally steps into the living room. Jack, Anti, and Marvin stand up when he enters, and the doctor is holding the sleeping bird gently in his hand. The wing has a splint, and Henrik did all that he could to help the wound around its rib cage. The men sigh in relief when he informs them that the Cardinal will survive and tells them that the fool probably got struck by a rock from a lucky throw made by a couple of kids. The wound looks more serious than it is, and a couple bones were broken in the wing, but Henrik was able to set it back in place with a stint. “Since he’s indeed one of us,” Henrik adds, “It’ll be easier to explain the situation to him once he wakes up and convince him not to fly around the house until he recovers.”

 

“Thank you, Henrik. I’m sorry to call you out here so late at night,” Jack replies as Anti takes the bird from the doctor. He places the feathered being into his tank where a makeshift nest had been built. It’s made a pile of grass and pieces of cloth. Marvin brings a cup of tea to the doctor, who looks exhausted, and the man thanks the feline for the tea. Henrik waves away Jack’s apology, telling Jack to just take him out for coffee sometime and makes his way to the front door. He assures Jack that he’ll stop back by in the morning to check on the injured creature and bring back the cup after they all get some proper sleep, and Jack thanks him again for the late night house call. Jack sees him out before locking up the door, and turns to tell the two men that they should go to bed. It’s been a long day for all of them, and they readily agree to Jack’s request. 

 

As Marvin and Anti make their way down the hall, Jack turns off the lights and walks over to the tank. He peers down into it, staring at the sleeping bird, and reaches down to lightly brush his fingertips over the red feathers. The bird doesn’t stir, and Jack moves a piece of cloth up and over the being to be used as a makeshift blanket before finally pulling away and going to bed.

  
  


“Can’t sleep?” 

 

Jack turns his head to Anti. The clock reads 3:14 am and green snake eyes are staring back at him. “Sorry,” Jack whispers, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

 

“It’s okay,” the serpent replies, “You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?”

 

Jack sighs and snuggles closer to him. “Yeah.”

 

Anti returns the gesture, pulling him close, and Marvin turns in his sleep to cuddle up against Jack’s back. “He’ll be okay, though.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

Anti hums and thinks before replying. “Call it instinct, I guess. Also..” Anti tucks his hand under Jack’s chin and tilts his face towards his, “He’s got you watching over him.” Jack blushes at the statement, and Anti pecks his lips with his own. “That’s all I really need to know.”

 

Jack huffs, breaks Anti’s hold on his chin, and buries his face into his chest to hide from his embarrassment. “Geeze, Anti. You really know how to fluster a guy..”

 

Anti chuckles, and Jack can feel the sound reverberate through his chest. “Just one of my many secretive tallents.” Jack giggles in reply and holds Anti close.

 

“...Thanks, Anti,” Jack says, and the serpent hums above him and tells him to get some sleep. He closes his eyes as soon as Anti starts snoring again, and he succumbs to the pull of slumber. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it to the end of the chapter! Congrats and Thanks! 
> 
> I've realized that more than once, I've ended on a chapter where Anti/Jack/Marvin are going to bed. Whoops xD Sorry about that. I'll try to change it up in the future.
> 
> Also, just a heads up, my finals are this week, so chapter updates are gonna slow down just a bit, but they should be still be updating at a reasonable pace. 
> 
> Thanks for your understanding! :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cardinal Wakes up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Back! Finals are over, and I have yet to fail any classes, so that's some good news.
> 
> Chapter 8 is a little short, so I'll be posting Chapter 9 later today, too, so be sure to stop by and check it out.
> 
> Enjoy~ :D

When Jack wakes up the next morning, Marvin isn’t in bed. Anti is snoring soundly next to him, and Jack brushes some of the serpents bangs from his face. He gets out of bed and heads towards the living room. 

Marvin is sitting in front of the tank, mumbling to what Jack thinks is himself, before he sees that the bird is up and awake. The feathered creature is looking back at the feline cautiously when Jack greets them with a quiet ‘Good morning’.

  
  


~*~

Episode 8: There are Always Pets Looking for a Forever Home

~*~

  
  


“Morning, Jack,” Marvin replies as Jack kneels down beside him.

“I see our friend is awake,” Jack states. The bird seems to be breathing easier, no longer in pain, and Jack sighs with relief. “Good morning to you, too,” he says to the bird. It chirps briefly in reply, and Jack smiles.

“I was telling him about where he was and how he got here,” Marvin informs Jack before turning his attention back to the tank, “I also told him to stay still and not fly around too much via doctor’s orders.”

“Thanks, Marv,” Jack responds before addressing the Cardinal once more, “Hey, sorry about all this. You were really against going to the hospital, so I brought you back to my place. Henrik, the vet that treated you, will be here soon to check up on you. Until then, please just stay there and rest, okay?” The bird tries to flutter its wings in response, but flinches from the healing injuries. It settles back down in what appears to be frustration, and Jack hears Marvin chuckle beside him.

 

“He’s pretty stubborn and believes that he can take care of himself. Right now, he’s more pissed at himself for having to rely on other people to help him out,” Marvin explains, and Jack smiles sympathetically. 

 

“I understand your frustration,” Jack tells the creature in the tank, “In my defense, you approached me first back at my store without even introducing yourself. As revenge, we’re gonna take care of you until you get better, and that’s final.”

 

The bird stares back at him in disbelief, and Jack hears a scoff from behind him. “Not sure that’s much of a threat, Jack.” Marvin and Jack turn their heads to see Anti walking into the room dressed in a set of sleep pants and sleep shirt. 

 

“I’m just torturing him with kindness,” Jack replies, and the bird seems to huff, frustrated, as a chirp passes through its beak. 

 

“If he doesn’t obey, Marvin can eat him,” Anti explains simply. Marvin smiles a toothy grin, and the bird squawks in horror at the suggestion.

 

“I told you that no one is eating the bird!” Jack exclaims.

 

Anti shrugs. “Hey, just offering.”

 

Jack sighs as Marvin lightly laughs and smile goes back to normal. “The bird is off the menu. Leave the poor thing alone.”

 

Just then, there’s a knock on the door, and Jack gets up to go to the door. 

 

“Hey, Henrik, good morning. Come on in,” Jack greets him as the doctor steps inside.

 

“Good morning,” the doctor replies as Jack shuts the door. He turns to the living room and sees that the bird is awake. “Ah, good to see you’re still alive. You got yourself in quite a predicament, haven’t you?”

 

“Aside from the recent heart attack these two caused by telling him that they’d eat him, he seems to be feeling better,” Jack explains. Even though Marvin laughed at Jack’s attempt to lighten the mood, Jack didn’t miss the subtle but dark look Henrik shot at Anti. When Jack looked toward the serpent, Anti was deliberately looking at anywhere but the doctor. Before Jack can address it, however, Henrik turns to him and asks if he could have some coffee. He nods and turns towards the kitchen. Henrik thanks him before moving over to the tank. 

 

Soon, the coffee is brewed, and Marvin takes a cup of the bean juice to Henrik as Jack starts putting together a simple breakfast. The meal is a simple ‘finger-food’ platter that includes chunks of fruit, buttered toast, and baked potato wedges. Henrik is arguing with the bird, now settled on a folded white towel that rests on the couch cushions, as Jack brings the breakfast into the living room. 

 

“You know just as well as I do that it’ll be easier to both fix and heal your injuries in your human form.” The doctor is standing in front of the bird, arms crossed, as the Cardinal fluffs its feathers and chirps back at him. Henrik snorts after the feathered creature quiets back down. “Yes, and look where your stubbornness got you. There’s no cure to help your bruised ego, and resisting assistance from me isn’t going to help you get back on your feet any faster.” The bird stares at Henrik, looks at Jack briefly before moving his gaze back and chirps. The sound is quieter this time, and Henrik sighs. “You’ve already transformed in front of the man once when you collapsed. This time is no different.”

  
  


The bird is silent for a long time. Jack hesitates for a moment before approaching the feathered creature and kneeling beside him. The Cardinal looks at Jack with worried eyes but doesn’t move away. 

 

“Hey there,” Jack greets him, “Though we’ve met each other quite a bit, I’ve never really introduced myself. My name is Sean, but everyone calls me Jack.” The bird stays silent but listens to what he has to say. “I made some breakfast, but it’s human food. You’re more than welcome to have some, but you’ll probably need to change back in order to digest it properly.” As the bird considers Jack’s offer, the other gets an idea on how to seal the deal. “Also, I’m pretty sure it’ll help you get  _ stronger _ again.” The bird perks up at this. Henrik raises an eyebrow, Anti huffs in disbelief while muttering something about Jack being a deceiving s-o-b, and Marvin smiles. “So, how about it?” Jack asks with a kind smile.

 

The Cardinal stares at him for another moment before chirping. Henrik sighs, saying ‘finally’ under his breath, and the doctor asks Jack to get the creature a pair of sweatpants. He also asks for a large blanket, allowing the bird to cover himself once he first turns human, as Jack walks to his bedroom. Jack brings back the requested items, sets down the pants beside the bird, and Henrik unfolds and drapes the blanket over the bird.

 

The setting reminds Jack of a magic show. The air shifts in the room, and a white flash of light comes from beneath the large cloth. The air pressure from the change pushes the blanket upwards into the air, and when it settles down again, Jack can make out a human shape beneath the cover. 

 

His hand comes out from underneath the cover and begins to pull the blanket off of himself. The floof of vibrant green hair with brown sides is revealed as blanket falls over the front of his face and onto his lap, covering his groin. The man opens his eyes and they’re a bright, vibrant sky blue; They have almost a glowing look to them when he looks up at the others in the room. Jack vaguely hears the others greet the new man properly as his attention is drawn not on his eyes but the things spreading out behind him.

 

Vibrant, beautiful red feathers - no, not just feathers, those were  _ wings  _ \- lifted and fanned out as far as the splint would allow from the man’s back. Jack vaguely remembers feeling something weird underneath the man’s hoodie when he collapsed in the park yesterday, and he now realizes that’s what he must’ve felt. They’re smaller in size, not looking like they could actually make him fly, but the wingspan was large enough to help slow his decent or glide from roof to roof should he choose to do so. When folded, they laid against his entire back like a second skin. Jack watched, entranced by their movements, as the man flexed his feathered limbs, fluttering slightly, before coming back down to frame his upper torso. He catches Jack staring at him, and Jack mutters an apology but can’t look away. It’s not until Henrik coughs when Jack blinks and shakes his head.

  
  


“S-sorry,” he again apologizes. The man blushes lightly, looks away, and says that it’s fine. The other slips on the pair of sweatpants and moves the blanket off of his lap. Henrik walks back over to check on the injured wing, resetting a new splint to the new-sized wing, before looking at the bruised ribs. 

 

“Luckily, it doesn’t look like you’re ribs aren’t broken. You’re wing probably took the majority of the hit. I’m just going to wrap your chest just incase,” Henrik explains as he pulls out the bandages. The injured man sighs and raises his arms as the doctor gets to work, and both Marvin and Anti start eating breakfast. Jack gathers a few items off the platter, sits by the other man, and holds it out to him as an offering. 

 

“You look famished,” Jack explains as the other raises an eyebrow at the food. 

 

“Why are you helping me?” The man asks in return. 

 

“Because I wanted to,” Jack replies, “Look, you were in trouble, and I knew that I could get you some help. I apologize if that was too forward, but you passed out on me. I wasn’t going to leave you face first in the snow.”

 

“You don’t even know who I am,” he states simply.

 

“If I ask, would you tell me?”

 

The man looks back at Jack before looking at the others around the room. Henrik concentrates on applying the wrap but is listening to the conversation. Marvin and Anti are in the background, munching on some toast and fruit, and Marvin smiles at him when they lock eyes. 

 

“You don’t have to tell me,” Jack adds.

 

The man’s attention snaps back to Jack. “Ah, no. It’s … fine. Jackie. My name is Jackie.” The man, Jackie, takes the offered food from Jack once Henrik is done and begins to munch. “Thank you for the food.”

 

“Of course!” Jack replies, “and nice to meet you, Jackie. Welcome to our home.” 

 

Jackie hums in agreement with a mouth full of food. Marvin is instantly by Jackie’s other side, causing both men to jump, and the feline immediately bombards the newcomer with questions about where he’s from and why he’s in town. Anti makes a comment about telling Marvin not to scare the poor bird away, and the cat sticks his tongue out at him in return. Jackie tells them that it’s fine and begins to talk a little about his home town, a quiet place in the northern part of the country, and everyone listens in with various degrees of fascination and interest. 

 

Henrik takes a seat in the recliner after he finishes putting his stuff away and grabs his own food and coffee before settling in. The hour passes in a blink of an eye, and with the food tray empty, Jack stands up and carries the tray into the kitchen. Anti joins him, arms wrapping around Jack from behind, and rests his chin on his owner’s shoulder. 

 

“Hey,” greets Jack.

 

Anti hums in reply. “You weren’t in bed this morning.”

“Had to make sure Marvin wasn’t having an early breakfast,” Jack replies with a smile. 

Anti returns the gesture, face now turned into Jack’s neck, and he can feel the movement of the smile against his skin. “You doing okay? Saw you staring at those wings earlier. Thought you’d be use to seeing foreign limbs and features on us by now.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jack replies, leaning back against the serpent, “Sorry for worrying you. It’s been so busy, recently, and just when I get use to it, another event happens. It’s been a lot to adjust to.”

“Still no regrets, though?” Anti asks. There’s no doubt in his voice; only plain curiosity.

“No, not at all. Just taking it all in,” Jack explains, and Anti hums again in understanding. Jack turns around in his arms and drapes his own over the serpent’s shoulders before pulling him into a long, close mouthed kiss. “Good morning, Anti,” Jack says after the kiss breaks. Anti huffs, smile wide on his face, and rests their foreheads together.

“When you two lovebirds finish making out in there, bring me another cup of coffee,” Henrik says from the living room. Without breaking eye contact with Jack, Anti reaches around behind his back and flips him the bird. Marvin begins to laugh hysterically at the response while the doctor chuckles. Jack can see over Anti’s shoulder that they’re all looking back at them including Jackie who has a small smile on his face. Anti pecks the other’s lips with his own before pulling away and going back into the living room. Jack grabs another cup and fills it with the hot caffeinated beverage before joining the rest of them and handing it off to Henrik. 

 

“So, where is Jackie going to stay while he recovers?” asks Marvin, and the room goes silent. 

 

“Ah.. You don’t need to.. Um,” Jackie begins to say, and Jack turns to him. 

 

“Jackie, do you have a home?” asks Jack, but the Cardinal looks away. Marvin’s ears fall a little. 

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad,” Marvin states, but Jackie shakes his head. 

 

“No, it’s okay. I do have a nest, but,” Jackie pauses, “… not as a human, no, I don’t have a place. Also, the doctor is right. It’s easier for me to recover in this form, but I don’t want to intrude.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack assures him while placing a hand on his shoulder, “We’ll figure something out.”

 

“I do have a spare room back at my place,” Henrik chimes in, “He can stay with me.”

 

“You’ve already did so much for me, though,” Jackie replies, and Henrik waves away his excuse.

 

“Nonsense. It’s fine. It’ll make treating and monitoring his wounds easier, too,” the doctor concludes, and Jackie sighs before thanking him and his hospitality. Jackie looks down at his hands in his lap, and Jack places his own over one of them. 

 

The man looks up at him, and Jack smiles back. “Hey, you’ll be okay. I know we’re strangers to you, but we really do just want to help you.”

 

“I.. I know, and I’m grateful,” Jackie replies, “It’s just that I hate being weak and vulnerable. I want to be strong enough to where I can take care of myself and the people I care about.” 

 

“I think you’re pretty strong already,” Jack tells him, and all eyes fall upon the owner. “Having physical strength is one thing, but I think it goes without saying that an even greater strength is acknowledging your own limits. You can improve them, sure, but even bodybuilders and martial artists had to learn the basics before they got stronger. It takes a lot of strength within yourself to even admit such a thing. Letting us help you is letting us show you those basics. So, for now, we’re gonna take care of you, okay? Let us help you get back on your feet.” 

 

The room is still, everyone processing those words, and Jackie’s eyes glisten with moisture. When a tear falls, Jackie blinks and breaks his gaze with Jack, bangs falling over his face as he looks down at his lap. “I never.. thought about it that way before. Thank you.” Jackie looks up at Henrik after a moment, and the doctor meets his gaze. “If it’s still okay, then I accept your offer. Thank you for again for your hospitality.”

 

“Of course,” Henrik replies with a smile, “stay as long as you’d like.”

 

“I’ll go wash your old clothes. You can borrow mine while they wash. Although,” Jack trails off, thinking, “I don’t think I actually have anything that’ll hide the splint on your wing.”

  
  


“I’ll just use the blanket, if that’s okay?” Jackie asks, and Jack approves of the request. “Ah, um. Can I get some help? It’s hard to move with this…”

 

Henrik stands up and grabs the blanket, “I’ll help you. Now, hold still.” He lifts and drapes the blanket around his wings and shoulders before folding the ends over each other across Jackie’s chest. The doctor leans close while tucking him in, and Jackie blushes lightly at the close proximity. Henrik notices and smiles, leaning closer just to tease him, and Jackie’s face turns a deeper shade of red. The bird mumbles a ‘thank you’, and Henrik smiles wider.

 

Anti snickers. “ _ Now  _ who are the love birds?”

 

Henrik mimics Anti’s earlier response automatically, one hand up behind his back, middle finger up in the air, and everyone laughs. 

 

Marvin sits by Anti’s feet, the serpent himself sitting in a dining chair he grabbed from the kitchen, and settles back against the other’s calves. Marvin’s tail waves back and forth in amusement as he watches everyone. Henrik pulls away from Jackie, and Jack doesn’t miss the moment Jackie leans forward as the doctor moves before catching himself. The color of the Cardinal’s face now matches his wings, and the poor man buries his head into the blanket. 

 

Jack smiles as the others laugh, lightly teasing him, and he takes the used clothes to the washer to start laundry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I made Jackie a little cautious in this one, but the boy will be more animated in the later chapters. The poor guy is just injured and scared, so his behavior is a little off at the moment. Fear not! Our beloved boy will be back to his normal self in no time**
> 
> Thanks for reading! School is over for the summer, but I still have a couple school projects that need attention these next couple weeks. Updates may become irregular again, so if they do, you now know why.
> 
> Chapter 9 will be up shortly! Thanks for reading! Leave a comment and let me know what you think, if you want to! :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack, Anti, and Marvin are invited over to Henrik's 'home'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 9! Thanks for waiting :D

Jack thinks that there shouldn’t be much else that surprises him these days, but now he’s starting to think that Life is starting to take it as a challenge. 

 

A few weeks after Jackie went home with Henrik, the doctor invited the three of them to come over to his home to visit and check up on the Cardinal, and they readily accepted. 

 

‘Home’, Jack thinks again, doesn’t quite describe the six bedroom, two story, white,  medium-sized mansion complete with a long paved driveway, a giant courtyard, and stone wall-iron gate combo lining the border of the property.

 

Anti, Marvin, and Jack stand on the ten-step stone staircase leading up to the ‘home’ and stare in both awe and disbelief at the large wooden double doors clad with two gold, weather worn lion head door knockers. 

Jack cautiously uses the one of the knockers, mind still trying to convince himself that there’s no way this could be Henrik’s home, but soon the door opens to reveal the mentioned doctor dressed in a white button up, tan cardigan, and dark brown slacks.

“Ah, good! I see you made it just fine. Please, come in, and welcome to my home,” Henrik greets them. All of them stare back at him in disbelief, and Jack’s voice makes some noise of bafflement. 

  
  


~*~

Episode Nine: Birds of a Feather

~*~

  
  


Henrik closes the door behind them after the men make their way inside and moves to stand in front of them. They’re standing in a large entryway with high ceilings and a glass chandelier. Two dark wooden staircases line each side of the space, and a balcony separates the two structures on the second floor. The layout of the building is symmetric, and hallways at the top of the stairs lead off into the bedrooms of the house. Large windows line the back wall near the second-story balcony, and the afternoon light is pouring through them and into the mansion. Other doors and hallways on the first floor lead to various common rooms including a study, a dining room, a large kitchen, a doctor’s office, and a glass-domed enclosed porch that looks out over the courtyard below. Everything is a combination of mostly white with various trims and decorations of earth-tone colors. 

 

“Apologies for it being a little small,” Henrik states innocently, and the other men’s heads whip around towards him in disbelief, “The other doctor I work with at the clinic has a much larger place than this. Ten bedroom, I believe. It has been years since I’ve last visited him.”

 

“ _ ‘Small’?! _ ” Jack exclaims, “This place is huge! Is this really where you live?!”

 

“This is actually the other doctor’s second home, but he’s letting me stay here in exchange for taking care of the place. I’ve been here for so long, though, that I’ve basically considered it my home instead of just a place of residence,” Henrik explains.

 

Rushed footsteps echo from one of the second story hallways, and soon the man with red wings comes dashing onto the balcony.

 

“Jack!” the man greets, and Jack smiles widely back at him.

 

“Jackie! Good afternoon!” Jack responds. 

 

Jackie is dressed in a pair of blue jeans and an large black tank top with sleeves large enough to let his wings fit through with ease. The men watch as he places one foot on the banister and spreads his wings.

 

“Don’t you even think about it!” Henrik shouts at Jackie. The other’s wings droop, and Jackie pouts. “You just got your splint removed, but your wing is still healing. Take the stairs.” Jackie huffs, but obeys the orders and gets down off the banister before rushing down one set of the stairs and embracing Jack.

 

Jack laughs with delight as he catches the man. “It’s good to see you! You look much better than before.” 

 

“Thank you! I’m feeling better, too,” Jackie replies, and all of them can honestly tell that he’s right. The man is much more animated from when they first met, and the wing looks brand new. From what Jack can see through the elongated opening of the sleeve, the bruise that decorated the man’s ribs is now nothing more than a slight discoloration on his skin. Jackie’s smile is as bright as his eyes, and he looks less like a stray and more like a human. 

 

Jackie turns to greet the other two men, and they respond in kind. After the initial greetings are out of the way, Henrik redirects the group to the domed porch. A small arrangement of afternoon lunch is waiting for them on a glass top coffee table; It’s surrounded by two couches on the side and a smaller loveseat version on one of the ends. Other small plant life and furniture decorate the room, and it looks like something out of a fancy home furniture magazine. The food laid out before them are various finger sandwiches, fruits, and cheeses; they’re accompanied by a couple of pitchers - one of ice tea and one of lemonade.

 

Jackie is a giddy ball of energy. He shows them how far his wing can stretch now and tells them about how the previous weeks had gone. Henrik has worked with him and his wing through physical therapy and that he can really tell a difference between the therapy and when his past injuries healed on their own without help. Jackie again thanks Henrik for his help, and the man smiles and accepts his gratitude while he sips on his tea. Marvin sits on the floor, finding it more comfortable at the moment, and munches on the sandwiches while Anti sits next to Jack on the couch with an arm around his shoulder. 

 

“It really does look great, Jackie. I can’t even tell there was an injury,” Jack states, and Jackie beams at him.

 

“I know, right? Man, I can’t wait to change back and fly again. It’s been so long!” the man replies. Henrik eyes them over his cup.

 

“Should you wish to have that wing heal completely, you will do no such thing until I give the say so,” the doctor states simply. 

 

The other huffs. “C’mon, doc, it’s been weeks! I feel fine, too. Can’t I just flutter in place? I won’t take off anywhere. Just let me change and fly for, like, two minutes tops.”

 

Marvin looks up at Henrik from his place on the floor. “How much more time is required to have the wing fully heal, anyway?”

 

Henrik’s gaze is cold, eyes never leaving Jackie’s, when he replies to Marvin’s question. “A rough estimate puts it about a week and a half longer until I’m confident it’s healed. The one thing I don’t have here is an x-ray machine, and since he’s afraid of hospitals, I’m keeping him grounded until I’m absolutely certain that it’s healed properly.” 

 

“How do you know it isn’t healed already?” Jackie replies, puffing out his chest, “I think I’d know my own body’s progress better than you would, since I can actually feel it--” 

 

The harsh, dark glare coming from the doctor shuts the man up as soon as he sees it. Anti and Marvin are hyper aware of the change in atmosphere, and the hand on Jack’s shoulder tightens protectively out of instinct. Jack, himself, remains still, observing the conversation with weary eyes, hands gripping his own thighs as the tension builds, and Anti pulls him closer. 

 

Henrik sets down his cup onto the table, angry eyes never leaving Jackie’s, and begins to speak. His voice is low, calm, but the razor edge of threat is very prominent in the tone. “Are you lecturing me on how to my job?” The other struggles to find his voice, but Henrik doesn’t bother waiting for an answer. “Let me explain something to you. First of all, even though I’m not a certified vet, my skills surpass those who are CEO’s in this particular field.” The doctor stands up before continuing. “Second, I am also a hybrid. I’m am very well aware of how our bodies work and how they heal.”

They watch as Henrik removes his cardigan, eyes still never leaving Jackie’s even though his vision is blocked briefly when the material is pulled over his head. Without looking away, the sweater is handed to Marvin, and the feline takes it cautiously. Henrik unbuttons the white button up.

 

“And third, I’m part avian, too. I’m not a newborn hatchling. If you’re assuming that I’ve never had injuries…” The white shirt falls from his shoulders.

 

Jack feels his own eyes bulge out of his sockets, and his hand comes up to cover his mouth in shock. He’s vaguely aware that out of the corner of his eye, Anti has turned his head away from the doctor and is looking out towards the courtyard. The grip on Jack’s shoulder is like a vice. 

 

Henrik’s own dove wings spread out from his back, and they’re about the same size as Jackie’s. The left is a beautiful white dove’s. The feathers are pristine, pleasing to the eye, well cared for, and it looks like a small angel wing. 

 

...Unfortunately, everyone’s attention is on the other.

 

The right wing is a harsh shadow of its former self. The bones near the base and inner portion of the wing have been broken and healed poorly at some point in the doctor’s life. The angles formed from the break makes the wing look jagged and just  _ wrong _ . The feathers themselves aren’t much better. Most have been ripped away, mainly the secondaries and corresponding coverts. The small feathers along the top and the base of the wing are still there, but some are missing. In their place are large scars, some looking like they were caused by large bullet wounds. The only main feathers untouched by the unspoken event are the primaries and their coverts. 

 

Although it’s jagged, the wing still manages to stretch out just as far as the left one as they fan out by his sides. Jack doesn’t miss the slight twinge of pain on the doctor’s face as he finishes spreading them out fully, and he knows somewhere in the back of his mind that it probably requires a lot of effort from Henrik to accomplish such a task. 

 

“... then you are sorely mistaken,” Henrik finally concludes his statement, and the atmosphere in the room is heavy. Jackie is speechless, horror and shock reflects on his face, and Jack feels tears forming in his eyes. “Do not lecture me on how wings heal ever again.”

 

“What happened to you?” Marvin manages to whisper.

 

Henrik is silent for a moment before he speaks. “It doesn’t matter. You are to stay on the ground for another week and a half, Jackie. That’s an order.”

 

Jackie trembles at the man before him before he closes his eyes and finally breaks away from the intense gaze. The Cardinal mumbles out a ‘yessir’ before falling silent. After a moment, the doctor closes his own eyes and sighs. 

  
  
  


Henrik leans down to pick up his white shirt and sweater. “Please excuse me. I need to be alone for a bit. Feel free to make yourself at home.” With that being said, the doctor leaves the room. 

 

Silent tears fall from Jackie’s face, and his bangs cover his eyes. “..I had no idea.. I didn’t mean..” Jackie whispers to himself, but he never finishes the thought out loud. 

 

Jack feels Anti stand up, squeezing his shoulder once more before letting go, and the serpent walks away and heads outside into the courtyard below mumbling something about getting some fresh air.

 

Jack watches him leave before he looks back down at his own lap and contemplates the situation. What is he suppose to do? What is he suppose to say? How can he comfort anyone when he can’t even imagine what any of them have been through? Thoughts like this run through Jack’s head, and it’s then when the fact that he’s the only full human here comes crashing back into the forefront of his mind. Jack closes his eyes against the fact, hands clenching where they rest on his thighs. Marvin slowly moves to Jack’s side, hand resting on his own, and asks if Jack’s alright. The other takes a deep breath and lets out a shaky sigh. He lets Marvin know that he’s alright and moves to stand up. 

 

When he opens his eyes, the spread of half eaten food and partially filled drinks greets him. Jack feels his body kick into autopilot and begins to clean up their lunch. Marvin quietly offers to help, but Jack shakes his head. “Can you stay with Jackie?” Jack asks instead, “I don’t want him to be alone right now. I’ll take care of this.” Marvin frowns but nods, and Jack rubs the feline’s head as a thanks before taking the trays into the kitchen.

 

He sets the uneaten food into some spare containers found in the cabinets above the kitchen counters and places them into the fridge. The platters are rinsed and washed by hand soon after, and it’s not until Jack has them air drying on some towels that he turns around and looks at the kitchen properly. Granite tops, dark wooden cabinets, and white floor tiles decorate the room. There’s a large island in the center of it, and on top of its surface rests various items including a basket of various fruit, a snack bowl of mixed nuts, a couple vases filled with various wild flowers, and a knife block. The side counters have their own appliances on them including an electric can opener, a rice cooker, and a blender. A black gas oven and stove top is there, too, and above it is a equally black microwave. A metal surfaced double door fridge and brass chandelier above the island completes the room, and their surfaces glimmer from the rays shining through a skylight installed high above Jack’s head. 

 

His legs carry him into the dining room. The large rectangular dining table is currently arranged to sit eight people, two at the head and three on each side, and a white table runner lays along the length of it. White chinaware is preplaced at each location with accompanying sets of silverware, cloth napkins, and chalice-shaped water glasses. A china hutch sits in one corner of the room, protecting various antique plates and decorated tea cup sets, and various house plants are in the others. Large rectangular windows line one wall, dark green curtains framing their sides, and the view presented from them is that of the front side of the property. Jack can see his car from here along with the large stone stairway leading to the entrance of the home. 

 

He wanders upstairs and onto the second floor balcony. There’s three bedrooms and one bath per hallway. There are four guest rooms in total and two master’s - one on each end of the far corridors. There are various photos and paintings lining the walls between the doors of all the rooms, and long, dark red and gold toned carpets decorate the wooden flooring beneath his feet. Small fog-glass wall lamps are also equally spaced along the corridors to help guide Jack’s way. Most of the doors are open and Jack peeks his head inside each open entrance.

The guest rooms are pretty identical to each other. Each have a king size bed dressed in light colored sheets and blankets. The rooms themselves are light in color, with the occasional dark wooden tables, night stands, and dressers placed about the room. The room’s are large inside, each one having three medium sized rectangular windows lining the far wall, and pale green curtains frame each one. Most of them don’t look lived in, but he soon finds Jackie’s room. His bed is unmade, and his red sweater is draped over the back of a chair near a wooden desk. One guest room is closed shut, and Jack quickly moves onto the next room, not wanting to invade a space he’s not welcome in. One master bedroom is empty, but the other is Henrik’s room. 

 

The room is darker than the others, including the other master bedroom, and Jack steps in a small amount to get a better view of the place. The walls are a dark shade of red with brown trim. A large wooden dresser is placed off to the side, and two identical night stands frame the head of the king size, four-post bed. There are multiple pillows on it, mainly decorative, and they’re clad with forest green and gold patterned sheets. The comforter dressing the bed is of an equal design, and a tan carpet lines the floor of the room. Dark green canopy curtains lines the top of the four-post frame, and the cloth has been pulled and tied back to the supporting structure with gold patterned rope. Two antique lamps sit on the night stands, one lamp per place, and one light is on. Jack walks over and turns it off before heading back out into the hallway.

 

Jack makes his way back downstairs. The doctor’s office is locked to keep prying eyes away from client’s documents, so he makes his way to the study instead. A large bookshelf, spanning from wall to wall, lines the far side of the room. It’s filled with medical journals, encyclopedias, non-fiction novels, travel guides, various biographies, and stories. There’s a small table next to a window surrounded by three wooden chairs. On the other side is a unlit fireplace. The chimney is surrounded by bricks and stones, and on top of it’s mantle is a variety of pictures and models. A victorian loveseat and two matching high back chairs are spaced around it, and a oval rug sits in the center between the furniture and the fireplace. 

  
  


He makes his way over to the bookshelf and tilts his head to the side so he can scan the titles of the various literature. Jack’s fingers trace over their spines as he reads the words, and a particular old one catches his eye. Its cover is old, leathery, and worn. The title has been rubbed away, but for its age, it’s been well kept. Jack pulls the old book from the shelf and looks at it’s cover. The material is soft beneath his hands, and even though the title is worn on the front as well, he can make out that it’s a simple medical book full of printed text, various lecture notes, and scribbles. 

 

“That one is from my college days.” Jack jumps at the voice that comes from behind him and turns to face the new person in the room. Henrik is standing in the entryway of the study, still shirtless and wings folded loosely against his back, but he must’ve removed his shoes at one point because he’s now barefoot. Said feet start walking across the room, soft steps echoing as they cross the wooden floor, until they reach Jack. 

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy,” Jack replies.

 

“Don’t worry, you’re fine,” Henrik reassures him. He reaches for the book and takes it from Jack. Henrik looks down at the cover fondly, thumb rubbing against its surface, before he puts it back on the shelf. 

 

Jack reaches his hand out before stopping himself and letting fall to his side. “How.. How are you, Henrik? Are you okay?”

 

The doctor looks up and smiles at him. “I’ll be fine, Jack. I try not to think about it, but… that stubborn brat wasn’t listening, and I…” Henrik lets out a sigh before continuing his thought. “If I only had to wait a couple weeks to fly again, then I’d.. but, it doesn’t matter. The past is past. My focus now is on the .. future .. Jack, what’s wrong?”

 

Tears are on the brink of falling from Jack’s eyes, his lower lip is being bit by his own teeth, and hands are clenched at the man’s sides. He wipes his eyes when Henrik asks the question. “I’m sorry. It’s just-- I had no idea. When you’re sad, any of you, then I feel sad because I feel like there’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t know how to help, and--” Henrik cups his face with one hand and shushes him. 

 

“It was a long time ago, Jack,” Henrik explains, “You don’t need to fix anything.” The doctor tilts Jack’s head to maintain eye contact. “You’re too kind, Jack. I apologize for making you worry about me.” Henrik gasps when Jack suddenly embraces the man, arms wrapping around his neck, and the doctor catches him before they fall from the momentum. His eyes widen for a moment before he closes them with a smile. Henrik wraps his arms back around Jack and returns the embrace. He lets his hand runs up and down Jack’s spine as the other begins to sob. “You’re a good man, Jack. Never change.”

 

They’re not exactly sure how long they stayed there, but eventually Jack pulls away and wipes his face with the back of his sleeve. Henrik offers him a drink and walks over to a mini bar Jack didn’t notice when he first walked in. Jack accepts the offer and follows him. 

The doctor grabs a couple tumblers and is about to pour their drinks when he feels Jack’s eyes on him - or rather, his wings. Henrik doesn’t move as Jack hesitates before moving his hands to hover over the injured wing. When Jack doesn’t move further, Henrik pushes the wing back into Jack’s hand, and the man gasps but doesn’t pull away. Instead, he lets his fingers brush lightly against the remaining feathers. “They’re soft,” Jack whispers. 

“Thank you. I try to keep them groomed as much as I can,” Henrik replies, voice just as soft, and he closes his eyes as Jack’s hands begin to roam. Fingertips brush lightly against the top of his wing before spanning down the larger feathers. Soon, Jack’s left hand starts petting the other wing, giving both limbs equal attention, and Henrik has to set the glasses down and support himself against the minibar as the hands wander to the base of his wings near his upper back. Jack notices the taut skin there, and begins to massage the sore skin and muscles. 

“Does it hurt?” Jack asks, and Henrik shakes his head ‘no’.

Henrik swallows before continuing his answer. “It stiffens a bit, sometimes, but most days it functions like a normal wing. I just can’t fly anymore.” 

 

Jack’s hands go still against Henrik’s back and wings. “I.. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how that must feel.” 

 

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Henrik replies simply.

 

“I know, but still..” Henrik remains silent, and after a moment, Jack begins massaging his back and wings again. The doctor makes a small noise, and his hands still once more. “Sorry--”

“It’s okay. Please.. It feels .. nice.” Jack nods and continues, working the knots out of his back. Fingers knead gently around the scarred tissue as Jack ponders how those large wounds came to be. The damaged skin is rough under his hands, and Jack hears Henrik groan. 

Jack blinks, suddenly realizing what situation he’s in, and backs away immediately with an apology on his lips. He never gets the chance to speak it as the doctor whips around and places his own hands on Jack’s waist before pulling him close. Jack’s own hands shoot up to rest on Henrik’s biceps as the man pulls him in, and soon they’re nose to nose. 

 

“You know, for someone who claims that they don’t know what to do with us, Jack, you’re sure acting like you do,” Henrik explains, breath ghosting over Jack’s lips, and the other can feel his heartbeat pumping through his own ears as a blush spreads on his face. The doctor’s eyes are dark, pupils staring to enlarge, and soon the man is leaning his face closer to Jack’s. Jack feels his own eyes get heavy, and he tilts his head to the side a bit as Henrik’s lips hover over his own and wings come from around Henrik’s shoulders to provide a cocoon. 

 

“There you guys are!” Jackie explains, and the other men part and step back immediately with blush on their faces. “We’ve been looking all over for you.” Luckily for them, it seems that Jackie is oblivious. However, Marvin, the feline standing beside the Cardinal, has a blank but knowing look on his face when Jack looks his way. Jack makes eye contact with him, and the feline blinks and gives his owner a reassuring smile. In return, Jack blushes harder and looks away. “What were you guys doing?” Jackie adds, and Jack coughs as Henrik answers.

 

“Jack was just helping me out a bit. Was there something you two needed?”

 

“Oh! Um. Yeah..” Jackie replies and steps closer to Henrik. “Hey, listen, I’m really sorry about earlier. You’ve done so much for me already, even if we barely know each other, and I didn’t even consider your opinion. So, I’m sorry. I had no idea, and I apologize.”

 

“It’s alright, Jackie. You’re apology is accepted. I understand the frustration about not being able to fly, believe me. Just give it a couple more weeks and you’ll be free to soar to your heart’s content,” Henrik explains, and Jackie nods in acceptance.

 

“Thanks doc,” he replies and turns to Jack. The man is still bright red and Jackie’s face falls with concern. “Jack, are you okay? You don’t look well.” Jack squeaks when Jackie places his hand on the other’s forehead, and Jackie’s eyes widen in shock. “Your face is really warm! Do you have a fever?! Crap, maybe it’s a cold. Doctor, help him out!”

 

Jack is flustering, blushing harder at Jackie’s obliviousness, and Henrik sends Jack a smirk along with a wink from behind Jackie. “Gladly,” the doctor replies, and Jack covers his face in his hands. Jackie freaks out as he feels Jack’s face increase in temperature, and Jack yells through his hands something along the lines of ‘ _ oh my god, Jackie, SHUT UP!’ _

 

Henrik laughs but acts the part of being a professional doctor. He says to the group that Jack just needs some rest. Jackie makes Jack sit down on the loveseat by the fireplace and tells the man to take it easy until he gets better. Jack sighs in acceptance, not wanting to make the situation worse. The doctor excuses himself, telling the group that he’s going to go change into something more comfortable, and heads upstairs and into his room. He smiles as he notices the lamp on the nightstand has been turned off, and Henrik knows that it was Jack’s doing when he smells the human’s sent from earlier. 

 

The doctor turns on the light and pulls out a simple sweater from his closet. He has both arms in the sleeves and is about to pull it over his head when he stops. After a moment, he closes his eyes and smiles and doesn’t turn around to face the other standing in his doorway. “How can I help you, Marvin?” Henrik finishes pulling his sweater on over his head before grabbing the hem and pulling it down to cover his torso. He only turns to face the feline in the doorway after he’s smoothed out the creases in the cloth. Marvin remains silent, blank eyes staring at Henrik, and his hands are still as they hang by his sides. The brighter light of the hallway puts his frame in a half-silhouette, and it gives the feline a darker look in contrast to his previously innocent nature. “I saw your stare,” Henrik adds, “I am not oblivious of the fact that you knew exactly what I was doing when you caught us.” Marvin stays silent, just observing the man, so Henrik continues, “Is your relationship with him a monogamous one?”

 

“No,” the feline finally speaks.

 

“What is it, then?” asks Henrik.

“A protective one,” Marvin answers simply, and the doctor hums an acknowledgement. “It does not bother me who Jack chooses to sleep with,” Marvin adds, and Henrik narrows his eyes. 

“You’re here for another matter, then,” Henrik states. It wasn’t a question.

“I am,” the feline replies, and Henrik watches as those blank eyes turn dangerous. The pupils become slits, barely visible in the dim light, and eyelids narrow as the white ears flatten on the back of his head. Marvin flexes his claws, and his tail begins to sway back in forth. Fangs peek through underneath his top lip, and any sign of happiness and innocence is long gone. “Should you hurt Jack in anyway, I will not hesitate to kill you where you stand,  _ Dove. _ ”

Henrik narrows his eyes even further as he considers the feline for a long moment, but he’s not phased by the threat in the least. “He’s a human,” the doctor replies simply, and Marvin actually growls through his teeth.

“He is my  _ owner _ , and you will not harm him in any way.” 

 

Both men start to hear Jack calling for Marvin in the distance but neither turn to acknowledge the voice. 

“When did we start caring for that man?” Henrik asks Marvin, and the feline replies without missing a beat.

“The day he accepted us when no one else did.”

The other one, Jackie, is calling for both Marvin and Henrik, wondering what was taking them so long. Henrik looks over Marvin’s shoulder when they hear footsteps on the stairs before making eye contact with the feline once more. “... That’s all it took, wasn’t it?”

Marvin’s ears straighten back up to normal, and his hands begin to relax as he hears the others get closer. “He tends to have that effect on people,” the feline replies. The two men make it to the landing and spot the other two down the hallway.

 

Henrik sighs before a small smile graces his lips. “Yes. Yes, he does.”

“Hey guys, there you are,” Jack greets them, “What’re you guys-- oof!” Marvin turns around suddenly and hugs Jack. His tail sways happily as he buries his nose into Jack’s neck. Jack chuckles before returning the embrace. “Sorry about all that back there, Marv. You doing okay there, buddy?” Marvin simply mewls and begins to purr when Jack scratches his ears. 

As Henrik turns around to turn off the light, he whispers, “I won’t harm a hair on his head. You have my word.” The words are quiet, nearly undetectable by humans. Jackie raises an eyebrow, and Marvin’s tail twitches at the statement but neither do nothing more. Henrik announces that he will start prepping for dinner, and all three offer their assistance as they make their way downstairs and into the kitchen. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oblivious Jackie is my favorite Jackie. xD
> 
> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think :3  
> KayThxBai!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack witnesses something new that makes him face reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst ahoy.
> 
> Heat's happen here, but I've interpreted it a little differently. See notes at the end for more details.

They’re talking about what to make for dinner when Jack realizes that Anti still hasn’t come back inside. He mentions this to the group, and Marvin offers to go fetch the serpent from wherever he’s hiding. Jack thanks him, and the feline heads outside. The sun has just set below the horizon, but there’s still enough light where Marvin can navigate the courtyard easily without relying heavily on his animal traits. 

 

The courtyard is made up of tall hedges and manicured grass. There are various rose bushes and plants arranged neatly in the yard, but due to it being Winter, nothing is currently in bloom. 

 

Marvin wanders around the yard until he picks up Anti’s scent and begins to follow it. The feline ends up walking near a grove of trees when something glints in the evening light between the tree trunks. Intrigued, he walks over to investigate and leans down when he’s next to the object. It’s a collar with a metal identification tag attached.

  
  


~*~

Episode 10: Pets are Animals, Too.

~*~

 

  
Marvin picks up the collar and sniffs it before immediately jerking it away and glaring at it. The scent isn’t a bad smell, it’s even familiar to him since the scent is all over the house, but… “A dog,” Marvin states to himself, “Of course it’s a dog. Why would it not be a--” His words are cut short when that same scent suddenly becomes stronger and a presence is suddenly behind him. 

 

The feline has only a brief moment to quickly stand back up before he’s pushed up to a tree, chest first, and held there by another as they press their torso up against his back. Two arms frame Marvin’s head, nails in the shape of dog claws, and Marvin yelps as the mutt’s bare hardon presses up against his ass through his jeans. The feline’s own hands shoot out onto the trunk to support himself as the hound begins to rut against him, and the mutt’s hands cover his own before intertwining their fingers. 

 

Marvin tries to speak out, but as soon as he inhales, his head is consumed by a sweet scent mixed in with the hound’s. The feline has about two seconds to process that the dog is in  _ heat, _ and Marvin curses the second hand high his body gets from it as the smell starts to affect him. The changes to his body’s response is immediate, and any rational thought to escape is quickly replaced by the need of not getting laid fast enough.  

 

One hand of the mutt’s falls to Marvin’s cock quickly, massaging the member through the rough material of the jeans, and the other’s head falls forward to rest on the bark as his cock quickly reaches full mast. The feline mewls as the both the hand on his bulge and the cock against his ass works faster, and the cat brings his free hand down to work on opening his fly and getting the damn pants  _ off.  _

 

The dog, thankfully, gets with the program quickly and uses both hands to finish freeing the feline from the confines of his jeans. Marvin shoves them off immediately, and the hound maneuvers the cat until he’s on all fours. The mutt kneels behind him and places a hand on the back of the feline’s neck. He pushes until Marvin rests the side of his face against the dirt. 

 

The feline mewls are loud now as the mutt begins to rut his cock against his ass and entrance immediately. Marvin closes his eyes, clawed hands scrambling across the ground, as time and time again the mutt tries to push its large member into Marvin before the head slips and slides along the crack of his ass. Preparation is far from Marvin’s mind, mewling and crying out instead for the mutt to hurry up and fuck him already; the teasing from the cock slipping against him is driving him insane with want and need. 

 

The hound grunts and growls behind him before the man finally lets go of Marvin’s hip and grabs his cock so he can start to guide it properly into the eager feline. Marvin mewls, presenting his ass as high as he can, and his eyes roll to the back of his head as he feels the tip at his entrance. “ _ Yesss. _ Yes, fuck, finally,” Marvin pants out as the very top of the tip starts to spread him open, “fuckin--  _ fuck me!” _

 

Marvin’s moans turn into shouts of frustration as the heat pressed up against his back is suddenly yanked away from him. The mutt yelps as his back hits the dirt, and when Marvin turns around to see what interrupted his mating session, he sees Anti with his back towards him. The serpent is standing between the two men, and Marvin whines as he senses the pure anger and slight arousal coming off the snake. 

 

Anti clenches his fists before he’s on top of the hound. One hand shoots out to wrap around the mutt’s neck, the other keeping his wrists pinned together above his head, and he straddles the man so he can’t get away. In the distance, Jack and the other two men are running across the yard to come to their aid. It isn’t until they’re about halfway there when Henrik realizes what’s happened and orders Jackie to stop and keep Jack away from the scene. Jack protests, but for once Jackie’s obliviousness isn’t present and holds the other man back immediately.

 

“How dare you almost take my friend unprepped, you lousy mutt,” Anti spats out, and Marvin’s attention is suddenly brought back to the two men in front of him. The hound doesn’t respond, mind too far gone from the suffocating heat pulsing through his veins, and the man can only buck his hips up into the serpent as he tries anything he can to get release. Anti is becoming affected by the smell, too; Marvin can practically taste the arousal coming off of him, and the feline moans low in his throat as his cock twitches. The serpent smirks down at the man beneath him and rolls his hips back into him. His forked tongue taste the air as the mutt lets out a long whine as Anti matches his rhythm. “Look at you. You’d fuck anything that moves right now, wouldn’t you? How’d you like it if I just took my cock and shoved it in you, no prep, as my fangs rip into your throat--”

 

“Anti.” The snake’s head whips up to stare at the doctor standing beside him. Anti begins to yell at Henrik, asking what the fuck he wants, before he sees Jack in the distance. His owner is frozen, a look of horror and shock on his face, and Anti shuts his mouth as he makes eye contact with Jack. His owner looks back at him, and Jack only finds a slight look of pity amongst the blown pupils of arousal. There’s no guilt, no shame, only disappointment that Jack chose this moment of all times to come out and see this, and Jack doesn’t know how he feels about Anti’s response. 

 

“Marvin needs you,” Henrik states, and Anti looks back up at him. “I’ll take care of Chase.”

 

“Who?” Anti spats back, and the doctor looks down.

 

“The hound you’re currently humping,” Henrik replies simply. Anti looks down and hisses at the mutt, starting to get distracted by wanting to both kill and fuck the man beneath him, and yelps when Henrik reaches down and throws him off the other man. “I told you to take Marvin and go.  _ Now. _ ” 

 

Anti huffs and gets to his feet before turning around and going to Marvin. The feline immediately wraps his arms and legs around the serpent when he gets picked up. Anti repositions his hands under the cat’s ass and walks them deeper into the clove of trees before disappearing out of sight.

 

Henrik redirects his attention to the other two men still standing in the courtyard. “What the fuck is he still doing here, Jackie? Get him inside, now!” Jackie snaps to attention and Jack yelps when he’s suddenly pulled over the Cardinal’s shoulder.

 

“Wait, no, Jackie, stop! Put me down! Henrik!” Jack shouts and Henrik looks him in the eye. He feels his heart break as the look Henrik gives him is identical to Anti’s previous one. Again, no guilt, no shame, only pity. The last thing Jack sees is the man, Chase, beginning to hump Henrik’s leg before the doctor pulls him up by the pit of his arms and bites hard on his neck.

 

Jackie doesn’t let go of Jack until they end up in the study. He sets the man down onto the loveseat before he pulls the curtains shut and starts the fire. When the flames are well lit, Jackie turns back to Jack. The other is looking at the glowing flickers of light, but his focus isn’t really there. The Cardinal slowly moves and sits beside him. Jackie raises his hand, hesitates, before rubbing Jack’s back. 

 

The touch seems to pull Jack out of whatever train of thought he was in. Eyes never leave the fire when he asks Jackie, “What was that? It was like they were completely different people.”

 

Jackie stares at Jack for a long time before moving his gaze towards the fireplace. “We’re not people, Jack,” he replies, and he feels Jack flinch slightly at the response. “You… see us as humans with weird perks, and that makes us feel loved. It really means a lot to us that you see us that way.”

 

Jack clenches his fists where they rest against the top of his thighs. “What happened to them, Jackie?” he asks again, but the Cardinal stays silent. Jack turns to him, hands moving to grip the other’s shirt, eyes pleading as Jackie turns to look back at him. “Please,” Jack begs the man, and the other lets out a sigh. 

 

“Heat, Jack. Chase is in Heat,” Jackie explains simply, and Jack’s eyes go wide. “We’re animals, Jack, and stuff like ears, wings, and tails aren’t the only thing that comes with the human transformation.” When Jack remains silent, Jackie turns his gaze back into the fire. Jack’s gaze falls to the other’s chest as Jackie continues to explain the situation. “A hybrid can’t be affected by another’s Heat unless they’re right up on each other to the point where they can’t escape the smell. The scent of Heat can kickstart a temporary Heat in the other person, making it easier for the original Heated hybrid to get the other to submit. That’s what happened to Marvin, Anti, and eventually Henrik. Their sex drives basically got a shot of adrenaline, and now they can’t really focus on much else until they get off.” Jackie pauses for a moment before continuing. “You’ve probably heard of the Alpha-Beta-Omega thing before, but that isn’t exactly what this is. We’re half human, too, and we have enough mental capacity to either be the dom or the sub. There’s no fixed system there.” Jackie feels the other rest his head against his chest, and the bird wraps his arms and one wing around Jack to provide comfort. “Heats suck, Jack. We lose ourselves in it, and we succumb to the instinct of reproduction. They can’t get pregnant, only females can actually get knocked up, so they don’t have to worry about that kind of protection tonight.”

 

“Why push me away?” Jack asks, and his voice can barely be heard above the crackling of the fire. 

 

“Heat isn’t a romantic affair. It’s not sex the way you know it, where there’s some form of human emotion or bond there, but instead it’s only to get the job done. Animals reproduce, and the Heat urges them to do so in order to stay alive. It’s rough, it can be violent, and there’s never really any love. Henrik told me to never tell you about Heats. I’m not sure why Marvin and Anti never brought it up to you, either. I don’t know what any of them were thinking. If we want to keep you in our lives, then you would’ve found out eventually. I guess they wanted to just keep that fact from you so they could enjoy your presence as long as possible.

 

Jack pulls away to look at Jackie. “But why would they--”

 

“I saw your face, Jack,” the other cuts him off, and Jack goes still. “There was nothing but horror and shock on it.” 

 

Jack visibly shutters as he recalls his own memories of pitiful eyes while Chase was pinned to the ground. He breaks his gaze and lets his head fall back onto the other’s chest. Jackie sighs and continues rubbing Jack’s back. 

 

“You’re reaction to them was justified,” Jackie continues, “Maybe some part of them was still there, a part that kept you away when they couldn’t avoid the inevitable, a last line of defense showing that they still cared about you, but ... if we let you get any closer... “ Jackie made sure Jack had pulled back to look him in the eyes before concluding, “Jack, if you got close to them while they were in Heat, you would’ve been raped. Period.”

 

Jackie watched as emotions of terror, shock, and grief danced across the other’s face. It wasn’t until Jack’s body started trembling that Jackie pulled the other into a tight embrace. Jackie let both wings surround them, cocooning them protectively, as Jack’s sobs began to echo through the room. The Cardinal buried his face into the top of Jack’s hair, hiding his own tears from seeing his friend in such a pained state. “We don’t want to lose you, Jack. We never wanted to scare you. I’m sorry you found out about this in such a way. I’m so sorry.” Jackie continues to whisper words of apologies and comfort as Jack cries into his chest. Sobs eventually give way to sleep, the moon high in the sky by the time the fire dies out, and both men rest on the small loveseat as the night passes by. 

 

When Jack opens his eyes, the room is lit by both a small lamp in the far end of the room and the early morning light coming in the window. The sun hasn’t graced its presence over the horizon yet, and Jack watches the ever-so-slowly moving shadows move across the room as the world turns to greet a new day. He doesn’t move his gaze when the hand on his back starts to move nor when the wing wrapped around his other side shifts. He hears the other whisper his name, but Jack doesn’t respond. 

 

“Jack,” he whispers again, “look at me. Please.” The mentioned man takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, before turning his head to look at the Cardinal. “Hey... Are you okay?” Bright blue eyes stare into his own before Jack closes them again. He rubs his face into Jackie’s shirt, ignoring his question, and instead requests to take a shower. Jackie frowns but accepts his request, and they get up before he leads the man to the one of the bathrooms of the home. The bird hands Jack a clean towel, a pair of sweats, and a T-shirt before giving him a brief intro on how to use the shower system and leaves.

 

Jack undresses and turns on the shower, body running on autopilot, and steps into the tub once the water temperature is to his liking. He recalls the events of yesterday as he washes his hair, and visions of fangs, growls, threats, and stares fill his mind. Jack shuts his eyes against the emotions that start to flood back into him, and he lets his hands fall to the tile wall to support himself. His heart races as he tries to analyze the events rationally without letting the pain in his heart consume him. Just when he starts to hyperventilate, new memories come into focus.

 

First, it’s Anti’s voice.  _ You’re different.  _ Jack’s eyes open at the sound in his mind. Soon, the vision of their first breakfast dances behind his eyes. 

 

_ We’re your pets,  _ enters Marvin’s voice, and Jack recalls his response when the feline called him ‘Master’.  _ I don’t care what you call me, but we’re equals. _ Jack blinks the tears away from his eyes as the pain in his heart is replaced by something else.  _ Don’t let anyone tell you differently. _

 

The tears inevitably fall as the newer memory of Jackie’s words come into his mind.  _ You see us as humans with weird perks, and that makes us feel loved. _ Jack brings a hand up to his mouth as he closes his eyes. 

 

_ They are foreign beings, _ rings out the doctor’s voice.

 

Jack’s other hand clenches against the bathroom tile. 

 

_ The are my Family. _

 

A rush of emotions and corresponding memories flood Jack’s mind. He recalls them playing video games, eating meals together, small talk while washing dishes, and mundane sappiness while at the grocery store. Each face flashes through Jack’s mind, and each one is full of happiness, admiration, and, most of all, trust.

 

Jack focuses on getting his breathing and crying back under control as rational thought finally starts to come back. They wanted to protect him, afraid of showing their true selves to him, and to keep their animal side away from him. 

 

Jack opens his eyes. 

 

No. That’s only a part of them. True, he can’t change that fact about them, and neither can they, but that’s not what this is about.

 

Memories of Anti comforting Marvin at the vet, Henrik helping out Jackie when he was injured, Anti hugging and crying into his shoulder when Jack admitted that he loved him, and the moment when Henrik revealed his broken wing to all of them also flash through his mind. 

 

Jack shuts off the shower and slides the glass door to the tub out of the way. He dries his hair and stands by the bathroom mirror hanging over the kitchen sink. He stares at the fogged glass for a moment before running a hand over the surface.

 

Determined, clear eyes stared back at him; Something he hasn’t truly seen in himself since Anti and Marvin first presented themselves.

 

It’s a fact, now. Heat for them is a thing, and Jack now understands why he only received looks of pity. They’re not ashamed of it; Heats are a part of what they are. Just like what makes a human ‘human’, Heats are a thing that’s part of a half breed's genetics. However, a Heat doesn’t make up their entire identity, and as the memories start to settle down in his mind, Jack understands this. He takes a deep breath and smiles to himself. His reflection mirrors his action, and Jack turns to change into the spare clothes Jackie got him. 

 

The two men almost run into each other as Jack exits the bathroom, and Jackie immediately apologizes for the near-hit collision. “Oh! Uh, no worries, it’s fine,” Jack replies, and he looks down to see that Jackie is carrying a bowl of warm water, a small wash cloth, and some ointment. When he looks back up, Jackie is eyeing him cautiously. 

 

“Um, are you--” Jackie begins.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jack cuts him off. 

 

The other blinks at him with confusion on his face. “What for?”

 

“My behavior this morning,” Jack explains, “I needed some time to think, but when you were so supportive of me, I ignored you, so I’m sorry about that. I wanted to process everything and reach my own conclusions without everyone around me.” 

 

Jackie looks at him for a long moment before answering. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

 

“I did,” Jack replies, 

 

Red wings shift in anticipation of Jack’s explanation. “So. What will you do, now?”

 

The eyes that meet Jackie’s gives the bird a feeling of relief of hope. Determination shines back at him, but he finds nothing but love as the driving force. “I’m pissed that you guys didn’t warn me sooner about it, but I do understand why you hid it from me. At first, I thought your fear of humans was founded simply on the fact that you can change into an animal and back, but now I realize that there is even more about you than just appearances.” Jack takes a breath before continuing. “Yes, you were right. I was scared of what happened last night. There’s no way I could hide that from you. I don’t know if I would’ve handled the situation better had I been informed ahead of time, either. However, that’s not how it played out, so it’s no longer relevant. But.. I also know now that your Heats are only a part of you guys. That’s part of your nature, but it’s also not your constant state of being. It’s as natural as breathing for you, just like having a set of wings, or Marvin having cat ears and a tail. Yes, it’s still strange to me, but what’s even stranger is trying to picture you guys without them. 

 

Jackie watches and listens silently as Jack looks down at his hands for a moment before looking back at him.

 

“I’ve told Anti this, but the following applies to all of you as well,” Jack continues, “You don’t have to love me, nor do you have to trust me. I’m still a little scared, yes, but I’ve gotten better. I’m less scared now than I was before because you, Jackie, took the time to teach me and explained what I saw. Now, I can be more prepared for when it happens again. … I don’t want to leave you guys, either. I want to stay with all of you. I want to learn more about you. I want to go out and do things together, like having meals, going to the park, playing games, and just.. be with one another.”

 

Jackie remains silent, but now there’s a smile on his face that has steadily grown wider as Jack spoke. “So.. Please,” Jack concludes, “Don’t hide things from me anymore.” 

 

“Are you serious?” Jackie asks quietly, “You really want to stay? After all of this?”

 

“I do,” Jack replies, “I know I told Henrik that if you guys leave me, it’ll be on your terms, and I.. I’ll stick with that promise.. But..” Jack’s hands clench at his sides. “I don’t want you to leave. I don’t know how I even lived without you guys around before.” 

 

Jack yelps when he’s suddenly pulled in for a hug, never even noticing when Jackie set his stuff down, and red wings surround him as one hand cards through his hair and the other arm holds him close around his waist. “Well, I’m not going anywhere, that’s for sure,” Jackie reassures him, “Can’t really speak for everyone else, but…” Jackie trails off for a moment as he looks over Jack’s shoulders at the previously opened bedroom doors that are now closed.

 

Sensitive ears pick up the sounds of movement on the other side of each doorway. He heard soft footsteps approach each one as Jack proclaimed his conclusions for all the world to hear, and Jackie has a soft smile on his face as he senses the various moods of stunned silence radiating through the doors. 

 

Jackie buries his face into Jack’s neck as the man finally returns the hug. “... I’m pretty sure they won’t be opposed to the idea, either,” Jackie finishes his statement. Jack laughs in response, relief evident in his voice, and Jackie pulls back enough so he can wipe Jack’s tear stained face. “We’ll try to not make you cry anymore, too. Sorry about that.” Jack shakes his head and smiles. “Hey, there’s that smile we know and love.”

  
  


Jack playfully bats his shoulder. “S-shut up.” They laugh again before Jack looks down at the items on the floor. “So, um, what are those for, anyway?”

 

“Oh! Right, I forgot. The guys returned when you were in the shower,” Jackie explains.

 

“What? Really?” Jackie points back at the doors when Jack asks the question, and the other turns around to see the closed bedrooms. 

 

“Another thing about Heats is that it wears us out,” Jackie explains, “It’s pretty much the equivalent of running a marathon for four hours but with the addition of sex, bites, and bruises. Most times, we try to have Heats in our rooms, but they were outside last night and are covered in dirt and scratches. I told them that I was gonna clean them up a bit while they slept.” He watches as Jack stares at the doors before turning back and staring at the items, and Jackie gets an idea. “However, I was going to start breakfast, too. Why don’t you clean them up for me? I think waking up to the smell of your scent in the room will help them really accept the fact that you don’t want to leave.”

 

“Would that not be intrusive of me to do such a thing?” Jack asks, and Jackie shakes his head ‘no’.

 

“To be honest,” Jackie replies, “I think them smelling you is more important than worrying about invading their privacy.”

 

Jack considers his words for a moment before responding. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

 

Jackie hears quick footsteps of several men going back to their beds as he picks up the items and hands them to Jack. In return, he takes Jack’s towel and old clothes. “I’ll wash these up for you.” Jack begins to protest, but Jackie shushes him. “You’ve did it for me, I’m just returning the favor.” Jack nods and begins to walk away. “Oh, and Jack?” The man looks back at him. “Just a warning, they’re gonna look like they fought with a lawn mower and lost. I assure you that it isn’t as bad as it looks. I just don’t want you to go into shock again.” 

 

Jack nods at him, and the other smiles before turning around and making his way back downstairs. As soon as the man is out of sight, he turns back around and looks at the closed doors before him. There’s two closed ones on the other side of the landing. One of them is Jackie’s, but the other that was unoccupied is now closed. The hallway he’s in has Henrik’s room, what Jack assumes is Chase’s room, and another previously unoccupied closed door. He takes a deep breath and begins to walk towards the one most familiar to him - Henrik’s room.

Jack knocks quietly three times before grabbing the doorknob and turning the handle. It’s unlocked, so Jack pushes the door open just enough to slip inside. The lights are off, and Henrik is asleep, stomach against the mattress with blankets pushed down to his waist, and his wings are splayed out by his sides. Jack leaves the door cracked just enough so the light of the hallway can guide him around the room without disturbing the man. 

 

When he gets closer, Jack can see the visible dirt and grass stains littering the man’s back and wings. His neck and shoulders are covered with dried bites and dark bruises, and deep red scratches cover his back and arms. Jack swallows down the worry that builds in his mind and shakes his head before getting to work. 

 

He starts with wiping away whatever dirt and grass marks he can reach with a warm, wet cloth without disturbing the man too greatly. The dirt comes off easily, the grass stains taking a little more rubbing, but soon the skin and wings are clean enough to Jack’s liking. The wounds are red and pink, but any bleeding that was there had stopped a long time ago. After he washes them, Jack puts some ointment on his hands and rubs the medicine gently into the skin. He pauses as Henrik shifts and doesn’t continue until he’s sure the man is asleep once more. 

 

Jack’s about to pull away when he looks down at Henrik’s lower half. After a moment, he gathers up the courage and pulls down the sheets so he can access any damage. He lets out a shuddering sigh as he observes the dark hand-shaped bruises and claw marks around Henrik’s hips and rear. His entrance is exposed, and Jack forces himself not to look away to give Henrik privacy so he can instead inspect for any tearing. The hole has been abused, but he doesn’t see any torn skin, and Jack sighs in relief. He freshens the cloth with warm water before he too treats the flesh before applying more ointment on the skin. 

 

When Jack is done, he gently pulls the covers up to the base of Henrik’s wings before gathering his things and leaving. He doesn’t see Henrik watching the man with tired eyes as the other shuts the door behind him. 

 

The next room Jack goes to, after changing the water and towel, ends up being Marvin’s room. The feline is lying on his back this time, but he’s in about the same state as Henrik was. Sunlight is shining through the cracks in the curtains, enough to light Jack’s way, so he shuts the door after he enters the room. 

 

Jack does the same aftercare as he did with Henrik, with the addition of petting the feline’s head a few times along the way, before cleaning up his things once more. Jack lets his fingers brush a few bangs from the feline’s face, and the cat begins to purr softly in his sleep. A small smile settles on Jacks face, and he leans down to kiss the man on his forehead where his markings are. His lips rest there a minute, feeling through the contact that Marvin is alive and well, before he pulls away. Jack fines a spare blanket in the closet, and he covers the feline with it; not wanting to disturb the man by pulling the original covers out from underneath him. He gathers the items and leaves. Marvin doesn’t open his eyes and stare at the morning sky until he hears the door shut behind the other man.

  
  
  


Anti’s room is in the other hallway, so Jack makes his way across the balcony. Bare footsteps echo quietly as Jack makes his way across the bare surface, and he can hear the tell-tale sounds of Jackie beginning to make some breakfast. 

 

He reaches the door and lets himself in. Anti is resting on his side, back facing Jack as he enters the room, and the serpent also never bothered with pulling the sheets back before collapsing onto the bed. Anti has less wounds than the others, mostly cat scratches and a couple hickeys, but Jack cleans and treats them just the same care as the others. He leans down to nuzzle his nose into the hair right behind Anti’s ear and breathes in his scent. It’s not too different from his own, but it’s also distinctively  _ Anti _ . The serpent shifts lightly at the touch, but does nothing more. Jack kisses his cheek, also grateful that Anti is back to normal, and pulls away before grabbing that room’s spare blanket and covering the serpent with it. He mumbles, mostly to himself, that the snake should remember to keep himself warm in these winter months. Jack smiles as the snake snorts in his sleep before pulling the blanket over his head before settling down again. He gathers the cleaning items and kisses Anti once more on an exposed hand before leaving, and that same hand clenches the blanket tightly as the door clicks with a shut.

 

The last room he comes across is Chase’s. He stands outside the door, and he’s not sure if he’s allowed into it. He recalls what Jackie told him, but he also knows that he’s never really met Chase, let alone know about his existence, until last night. Jack’s own thoughts are interrupted when he hears a voice call out to him from the other side of the door. 

 

“You can come in,” it says, and Jack shakes his head to clear his mind before he knocks and enters the room. A man with a set of German Shepherd ears and tail greets his vision. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, back towards Jack, and he’s bent slightly at the waist as his forearms rest on his knees. He has a corner of the bed sheet pulled over enough to cover himself, but the rest of him is bare to the world. The morning sun is now over the horizon and shining through the window in the room. 

 

Jack takes in the scene for a moment before entering all the way and closing the door behind him. Chase doesn’t look up as Jack slowly starts to make his way over to the other man. Jack kneels down in front of him to finally make eye contact with the hound. The man before Chase gestures to the items in his hand without looking away and explains, “I’ve come to clean your wounds. Is it okay if I do so?” The hound watches him for a moment before nodding in agreement, and Jack nods back before setting down the items. 

 

Chase is the least beat up by all of this. There are a couple bite marks and hickeys on his neck, including a hand shaped one from Anti, but other than the occasional dirt and grass stains, Chase seemes to have came out unscathed. The hound watches with tired eyes as Jack dips the new cloth into the water before wringing it out and reaching up towards his face. Jack hesitates a moment, the two men eyeing each other, before Chase nods again to allow Jack to continue. 

The cloth is soft and warm on his skin, and Chase closes his eyes as the wet material cleans his eyes, forehead, nose, and cheeks. The cloth is dampened once more before going gently over his neck, shoulders, chest, and back. Jack makes sure to clean his forearms and nails before working his legs and feet. Chase grabs his tail as it starts to wag on the bed and chastises himself internally for his dog-like instincts. Jack chuckles lightly before applying some medicine to the wounds around his neck, and the dogs eyes close as fingertips work at his skin.

“Are you okay?” Jack whispers, and Chase’s eyes snap open. 

Jack is looking at him with sincere concern as he finishes up the task of applying the ointment, and Chase is stunned. “I.. what?”

“Jackie told me what was happening - what had happened - and I wanted to make sure you were okay. He told me that Heats can be pretty rough, so..”

“I.. I nearly  _ raped _ your friend, and you want to make sure that  _ I’m  _ okay?” Chase asks the man in disbelief. 

Jack considers his words, focusing on cleaning up the items, before answering. “Don’t get me wrong, what you almost did to Marvin was… but, I’m not the one you should apologize to. I know that Heats are natural for you, so if you feel a need to apologize to someone, then go to Marvin. As for me, we literally just met, so I’m not sure what to think of you yet. However, all I do know is that I can still help out where I can, and right now I want to make sure that you’re okay.” 

Chase stares at him for a long moment before looking away, ears falling flat to his head, and curls up a little. “I.. I’m fine. Thank you for cleaning me.”

Jack smiles softly at his response. “You’re welcome.” He gathers his things and turns back to Chase. “Hey, Jackie is making some breakfast. Why don’t you come downstairs and eat with us? You’re probably starving.” Chase considers the offer for a moment before nodding, and Jack leaves to puts the items away in the bathroom as Chase dresses himself. 

The man is waiting for him when Jack leaves the bathroom, and he can see the tail sticking out through a pre-cut hole in the pants. Chase is holding a black t-shirt in his hands and is blushing slightly as Jack notices the garment. “Um. Sorry, it’s just.. I didn’t realize how sore my arms and back were.. and..”

 

Jack chuckles in response and reaches out to accept the shirt. “No worries, man, I’ll help you. C’mere.” The other hands him the shirt, and Jack helps him slip into the thing without Chase having to move too much. Chase takes over by pulling down the hem once it’s over his head, and he thanks Jack for the assistance. 

 

Jackie looks up from where he’s leaning against the counter as he hears Jack and Chase enter the kitchen. The Cardinal smiles wide as he sees them together and knows that everything is going to be alright between them. He greets them with a quiet good morning, not wanting to disturb the others, and the men return the greeting. 

 

A plate of pancakes, toast, eggs, and bacon are served to each of them, and they all enjoy the meal as they make small talk amongst themselves. The morning sun is higher in the sky now, filling the rooms of the house with light. Jackie also asks the hound if he’s alright, and the dog assures him that he’s fine. Chase, in turn, asks about the others, and Jackie informs him that they’ll be right as rain after a they get a few hours sleep. Their attention is grabbed by a noise next to them, and they turn to see that Jack has pushed his plate away and his head is resting in his arms. Soft snores are what caused the noise, and the two men smile and chuckle to themselves as the man sleeps with a belly full and a mind at peace. 

 

When Jack opens his eyes, he realizes that he’s been moved to another spare bedroom as he slept. The mental exhaustion must’ve did a number on the man because the time Jack sees displayed on an antique clock on the wall is four pm. Evening light illuminates his room through the open curtains, and Jack sits up in his bed to stretch. His peaceful awakening is broken when he muffled shouts and arguing coming from downstairs, and Jack springs out of bed, still dressed in the pajamas he changed into after the shower that morning, and sprints downstairs. He skids around the base of the steps and comes to a stop half way down the corridor leading to the glass-encased porch because he’s frozen by what he hears and sees.

 

“But I have three aces!” Jackie exclaims while holding the mentioned cards in front of Chase’s face. “I can lay them down on my turn, can’t I?”

 

“We’re not playing Rummy!” Chase replies, batting his hand away. “This game is called Go Fish!”

 

“I thought we were playing Old Maid,” Anti adds while staring at his cards.

 

“There’s not even fish involved in this game…” Marvin more or less mumbles to himself, disappointment laced in his voice. 

“You’re fishing for other people’s cards, Marvin, not actual fish,” explains Chase, but that only seems to disappoint the man even further.

“I don’t even have any bait, though!” the feline replies, and the dog looks at him with disbelief.

“That has nothing to do with singling out and old lady in a maid’s outfit, Marvin,” Anti answers for Chase.

The mentioned man does an audible facepalm. “Oh, for fucks sake…”

None of the men seemed to have noticed Jack’s presence, too focused on the cards in front of them, and Jack watches in stunned silence.

“Wait, then what do I do with these five Queens?” Marvin asks, and the group looks at his hand as, indeed, he does have the mentioned cards in his hand.

Chase is flabbergasted at this point. “Wha.. I.. How in the hell do you have five Queens?! Anti and Jackie have three Queens between them, and there’s only four in the deck!”

The cat looks down at his cards before looking up with a confused expression. “I haven’t the slightest idea.”

All the men laugh at the situation, and Chase gathers the cards to set up a new game. They debate on what to play next. Anti suggests Uno, and Chase explains that Uno has to be played with a different set of cards. Jackie mentions poker, and both Anti and Chase question if the man even knows what that game is. The Cardinal thought it had something to do with the poker by the fireplace, and Chase’s facial response makes Anti double over in laughter.

“Good afternoon,” a voice greets Jack quietly from behind, and the man jumps in response. He turns around to see Henrik standing behind him while carrying a tray of various drinks. The doctor has showered and cleaned himself properly since the last time Jack saw him. Henrik smiles and speaks again. “Did you sleep well? You were out for quite a while judging by what Jackie told us.” 

Jack’s mouth opens and closes, brain trying and failing to rack up a response, and soon a cautious hand takes his from behind. He turns back around to see Marvin beside him. The felines ears are drooped a little as he watches his owner’s expression, but the eyes staring at him are alive with hope. “Do.. Do you want to come play with us?” 

 

The house become still as Jack’s eyes never leave Marvin’s. Jack is vaguely aware that the others are watching to see what he’ll do. After a moment, Jack’s free hand slowly moves until it reaches Marvin’s face. Tentative fingers brush against the freshly cleaned skin, and the feline moves his head until Jack’s palm is cupping his face. 

 

The feline yelps as he’s suddenly pulled into an embrace from Jack. Arms and hands wrap around his torso and bury into his hair and fur as Jack pushes his face into the crook of Marvin’s neck. The feline is bringing up his hands to return the embrace when Jack whispers against his shoulder. 

 

“You’re okay,” Jack speaks, and Marvin’s eyes widen. “Thank fuck, you’re okay. I didn’t.. I was so scared. I didn’t know what was going on, and… fuck, I’m.. I’m so glad you’re okay.” Marvin feels tears form in his own eyes, and he returns the embrace in full as Jack hugs him even harder. “I’m so glad you’re all okay,” Jack concludes, and everyone has big smiles on their faces. Marvin buries his own face into Jack’s shoulder, tears being absorbed by the soft material there, and the remaining tension in the room is finally broken.

 

Jack pulls away after both men compose themselves, and he brushes some bangs out of Marvin’s face before looking up at the remaining men. A more serious look graces Jack’s face, and everyone becomes more attentive. “No more secrets. I want to know everything.”

 

Everyone nods in response, and Henrik speaks up after. “That’ll go both ways, Jack. If something is ever on your mind, you need to tell us. Is that fair?”

 

“That’s fair,” Jack agrees, and Marvin squeezes his hand. 

 

“You’re not mad, are you?” the feline asks, and Jack smiles down at him.

 

“No. Not anymore. I’m just glad you’re all safe,” Jack replies.

 

The feline smiles, and Chase calls them over to join them in another round of Go Fish. Jack accepts, and the three of them make their way to the room. 

 

The late afternoon sun eventually sinks beneath the horizon, and the moon ends up high in the sky as the group continues to play into the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! You made it to the end! Awesome!   
> So, addressing the 'Heats' thing: I don't really have a total A-B-O mentality around it; mainly because I don't have a total grasp on it yet. So, for this fic, Heats are things they still get, but as explained in the fic, there's no alphas, betas, etc.. There's not really any knots either. It's still human sex except for the scent of heat.  
> Basically, when one of them is in heat, it drives them crazy enough to focus on nothing but reproducing/have sex. The scent is strong enough that, should they find another hybrid that isn't in heat, their own heat-scent can affect the other and make it easier to have sex with them.   
> Should Jack be put in that position, he wouldn't be affected by the heat because he's a human. However, they probably wouldn't let him escape so easily, either. Hence why Henrik told Jackie to keep him back. 
> 
> I'm still working out the details, but that'll probably be the last time you'll see a 'Heat' chapter in this story for a while. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	11. Chatper 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has a long day at work, and after a little stress relief from Anti and Marvin, Anti tells Jack a story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's smut here.
> 
> *re-reads what I wrote*
> 
> It's kinda weird at first, and I'm perfectly okay with you guys skimming/skipping it. 
> 
> However, there is plot stuff half way down, so be sure to read that bit at least. 
> 
> Thanks, luvs! Enjoy~

The alarm rings on Jack’s phone, the screen displaying six am, and Marvin buries his head underneath the pillow. Anti pulls the blankets over his own head as Jack sleepily reaches over and turns off the loud device. They all sigh happily when the annoying sound is silenced, and Jack settles back into the mattress.

 

Henrik is down in the study, glasses on while reading the morning paper, and he sips on a cup of coffee. He doesn’t bat an eye as a loud thump comes from upstairs followed by a shout. 

 

“ _ FUCK, I’M GOING TO BE LATE FOR WORK!!”  _ Jack’s voice screams out from the second floor. 

 

Henrik turns a page to start reading the comics. 

  
  


~*~

Episode 11: Wounds of a Hurtful Past

~*~

  
  


“Guys, get up! I have to take you home so I can go to work!” Jack yells at the half breeds still sleeping in the guest bed. They ended up sharing the same room during the second night of the impromptu sleepover, and throughout all the chaos, Jack nearly forgot that he had to work today. He’s half hopping on one leg, trying to pull his jeans back on, and finally succeeds before turning back to the men. They’re snoring away, not bothered at all by Jack’s screaming, and his nose flairs in annoyance. 

 

Anti yelps, hand flying to his ear after Jack leans over and bites the flesh hard, and Marvin is startled awake by the noise. “Ow!” Anit cries out, rubbing the skin there, “the fuck was that for?”

 

“I said I have to go to work! We’re still at Henrik’s, remember? I have to get you guys home and change into my uniform.” Jack explains, and Marvin whines.

 

“I’m tired.. I don’t wanna go anywhere,” complains the feline.

 

“Just change into your animal form, then,” Jack compromises, “I can carry you out, and you can still sleep.”

 

“That’s such a hassle,” Anti protests, and Jack glares at them.

 

“I will drag your asses one way or another down those stairs,” Jack threatens. Anti sighs, and Marvin mewls in defeat. 

 

Henrik looks up from the paper as he hears the footsteps of Jack rushing down the stairway. When the man enters the study, Henrik notices that Jack has dressed back into the clothes he originally came in; the outfit consists of his winter coat, long sleeve shirt, skinny jeans, and converse shoes. Marvin and Anti have transformed into their animal state; Jack is holding the feline in his arms and Anti is draped around Jack’s neck like a scarf. Both animals are sleeping, content with the body heat Jack’s producing, and the man himself looks to be in a rushed state. 

 

“Hey, Henrik, sorry, I gotta go,” Jack explains, and the doctor smiles in return. “I forgot I had work today. I’ll come back and grab their clothes later. Thanks for letting us crash at your place. I know it was kinda unexpected..”

 

Henrik laughs and puts down the paper and cup before standing. “Of course, Jack,” he replies as he walks over to him, “You’re welcome here anytime.” Jack smiles and thanks him. The doctor accepts the gratitude and shows him to the door. Jack is about halfway down the steps when Henrik calls out to him. The man turns around, and Henrik looks at him before smiling. “Thank you.”

 

Jack blinks at him before returning his own smile. “Anytime, Henrik.”

 

He gets the two creatures home and sets Marvin down on the couch before turning on the heating pad and placing Anti in his tank. Jack replaced the heat lamp with the heating pad when Anti requested it of him. He told Jack that, yes, the lamp gets the trick done, but the light is really bright, and his snake side prefers dark spaces. 

 

Jack goes into his room after he’s set out fresh water and food for the two half breeds and changes into his uniform. It’s a red polo with loose black pants. Jack prefers skinny jeans, but dress codes are dress codes, and he likes having a job, so he never complained too much. He grabs his name tag and car keys before stepping back out into the living room. He reaches in to rub a finger underneath Anti’s chin before going over to pet Marvin’s ears. The cat purrs happily before falling back asleep, and Jack heads out for the day.

 

Waking up late ends up being only the start of Jack’s troubles. There’s no break in the stream of customers that day, most of them end up chewing him out for bullshit he has no control over, and he ends up cleaning puke cause by three separate kids that day; most of which he could tell what the child had to eat before hurling over the floor. His only silver lining for the day is responding to a text Henrik sent him. The man has asked Jack to meet up for coffee in the following days, and Jack gladly accepts. Jack texts him back and forth during his lunch break to arrange the details before he’s summoned to clean up another isle.

 

By the time Jack gets back home, the man is exhausted. He ends up flopping onto the couch, back against the seat cushions, and manages a weak ‘hello’ to the other members of the household before his eyes grow heavy and falls asleep. 

 

Marvin, still in cat form, jumps up onto the armrest near Jack’s head before laying down and looking at his owner. Movement catches the feline’s eye, and he looks up to see Anti slithering out of his open tank and onto the ground.  _ “What are you doing?” _ Marvin asks the serpent, and the creature flicks out his tongue as he moves over to Jack’s leg.

 

_ "You can practically feel the stress radiating off of him. I’m just gonna give him a little TLC.”  _ Anti considers Jack a moment before looking up at the feline.  _ “Turn back into a human and pull him up a bit. I got an idea.” _

 

Marvin huffs before doing just that. A bright light fills the room, and when it dims, Marvin is sitting behind Jack and pulling the man up to lean against his chest. Jack stirs a moment, realizing it’s Marvin behind him, and resettles into a more comfortable position. Soon, snores start coming from the man again, and Anti makes his move. 

 

Jack’s leg is over the side, foot resting on the carpet, and Anti slithers close. He pauses, looking into the pant leg, before determining that he can indeed fit inside it and starts to crawl. Marvin watches as the serpent slides up their owner’s leg, prominent hump of the snake moving constantly under the material, and the feline feels his own arousal stir as he realizes where Anti is heading. 

 

Jack begins to squirm in his sleep as Anti makes it up to his thigh, and Marvin wraps an arm gently around his waist while his other hand holds Jack’s loosely so he doesn’t disturb Anti’s ascent to his groin. The feline kisses his neck and shoulder as he watches Anti start to coil around Jack’s dick beneath his pants. Marvin reaches down to undo the button and zipper of the black slacks before pushing down both the material and boxers giving Anti more room to work.  _ “Thanks,” _ the serpent states.

 

_ “You’re insane,” _ Marvin replies, and the snake gives him a dull look.

 

_ “You’re enjoying every minute of this. I can smell it.” _

 

_ “Never said I wasn’t.” _

 

Anti uses the new room to properly coil around the soft member before leaning back and eyeing the tip of Jack’s cock. After a moment, Anti leans his head close and his tongue starts to flicker and tease the slit of the tip. Jack’s breath immediately hitches, and Anti feels the cock start twitching to life beneath his scales. He begins to squeeze and release the member, creating a teasing pulse, and his body shifts slightly with each moment of pressure. He works his tongue faster and applies more pressure to the slit. 

 

Jack tries to fondle himself in his sleep, hand traveling down as Anti works his cock, but Marvin captures the hand and kisses the knuckles when he brings it back up to his mouth. The fingers unfurl in his hand, and Marvin moves them so he can suck on Jack’s digits. A moan falls from Jack’s lips, and his hips begin to rock as the snake works doubletime. Marvin works his free hand on Jack’s nipples, and Anti can tell the exact moment when Jack wakes up.

 

“Oh-ohh, oh, shit, fuck. W-what-- Anti? M-Marv?” Jack’s voice is heavy with arousal and exhaustion, and Jack bucks his hips as Anti constricts harder around his cock as the tongue teases his slit. “ _ S-Shit! _ Don’t-- Don’t stop,  _ fuck!” _

 

Marvin pulls Jack’s shirt off before attacking his neck and shoulders with kisses and playful bites. His hands immediately find Jack’s nipples again, and the man bucks his hips before pushing back against the feline. Marvin’s cock is trapped between the his stomach and Jack’s chest, and the feline begins to thrust his own hips against Jack to get some friction on his own cock. 

 

Jack has his own head thrown back, resting on Marvin’s shoulder as the feline devours his neck. One of Jack’s arms is wrapped up and around Marvin’s neck as his other hand is rubbing along the serpents body. He’s on the brink of orgasm when Anti stops his teasing, and Jack lets out a long whine. He’s about to ask why Anti stopped when he spots the snake uncoiling itself and sliding up Jack’s torso. The movement mimics the sensation of a hand twisting on his cock, and Jack’s eyes roll to the back of his head as a constant stream of pleasure races up his spine. 

 

He climbs until his face is level with Jack’s, and Marvin gently places one hand over Jack’s eyes. The other man sees a bright flash around his fingers, and a heavy weight is suddenly on him; Jack notices immediately that it’s very much a horny Anti in his human form, and the hand from his eyes is pulled away. 

 

The serpent is pressed up against him immediately, rocking hard into Jack’s cock, and the movement make’s Jack’s body rub against Marvin’s own groin. They all moan and grunt as they get into a rhythm, and Anti leans down to capture Jack’s lips in a heavy kiss. It’s a lot of tongue and teeth, and Jack’s hands shoot up to bury themselves in Anti’s hair. Anti tilts his head, shoving his forked tongue deeper into Jack’s mouth and throat, and Marvin continues to suck hickeys into Jack’s skin as both of his hands travel south. 

 

Both Jack and Anti break the kiss, moans escaping their lips, as Marvins hands wrap around each of their dicks and begin to pump them at a fast pace. Jack cries out again and again as Marvin works him faster. Anti fucks Marvin’s own hand, curses spilling out at a fast enough rate to make a sailor blush, and Marvin smirks against Jack’s skin as he watches the two men start to come undone. 

 

Anti eventually pulls up enough brain power to bat Marvin’s hand away so he can move down Jack’s body until his head is over the pulsing member. He takes his own hand and wraps it around Jack’s cock, giving it a few strokes, before making eye contact with the man. The sight he sees is delicious; Marvin is holding Jack’s hands near his shoulders, mouth sucking and teasing one set of fingers, and Jack is looking down at him with hooded eyes and panting through kiss-swollen lips. “Do you know what snakes are really good at, Jack?” The addressed man furrows his eyebrows slightly at the question, and Anti’s smirk is devious. “Swallowing things whole.” 

 

Without a moment's hesitation, Anti opens his mouth and takes Jack all the way down to the hilt in one swoop. Jack’s hips buck hard up into the sudden sensation, and he cries out when Anti hollows his cheeks. The serpent moves his hands to hold Jack down and begins to bob his head up and down at a fast pace. Tongue and cheeks work and suck at whatever his lips can’t do, and Jack begins to thrash against Marvin and Anti’s hold while curses, moans, and whines spill out through his lips at a constant stream. “Oh  _ FUCK, _ OH SHIT, oh, ahhh, ah, mmm, fuck, Anti,  _ Anti---  _ mmph!”

 

The serpent opens his eyes enough to see that Marvin has pulled Jack’s head far enough to kiss him, and Anti groans at the sight. The vibrations make Jack’s dick twitch in his mouth, and the serpent reaches his a hand down to work at his own cock. He watches as Marvin’s tail comes up and starts brushing over Jack’s nipple. The man’s body jerks at the sudden sensation, and Anti works his mouth and hand faster as he lets the sight above drown him in desire. 

 

The combination of sensations on his cock, chest, and mouth has Jack arching and bucking up off the couch. It’s not long before Jack is sent flying over the edge, and he breaks the kiss with Marvin as scream rips through his mouth as he comes hot and heavy down Anti’s throat.

 

The serpent swallows it all, sucking and milking the member and making sure he catches every last drop. Anti lets the cock fall from his lips with a pop before he crawls up over Jack and looks at the two men beneath him. Jack’s body is still spazzing a little from the aftershocks coursing through his body, and Marvin has both his hands on Jack’s hips as he humps their owner’s back. The feline’s eyes are shut tightly as he focuses on reaching his orgasm, and Anti watches as Marvin’s mewls get higher and more desperate in pitch before the feline finally bites down on Jack’s shoulder hard. Jack cries out at the bite, and Marvin whines high in his throat as his body convulses. White come paints Jack’s back as sharp nails dig into Jack’s hips. 

 

Seeing both men orgasm in ecstasy sends Anti over his own edge, head dropping as he works his hand fast over his cock. His own come decorates Jack’s chest, the man himself too far gone to care about the mess, and Anti moans low and deep in his throat as the waves of pleasure crash through his body. 

 

The serpent lets go of his own cock and braces himself on his hands. Jack blinks lazily up at him, breath still heavy as he works on catching his breath, and Marvin’s mouth has yet to let go of Jack’s shoulder as weak mewls pass through his throat. After a moment, Anti leans down and lets his tongue fall out of his mouth. Jack gasps as the wet muscle begins to lick up the splattered semen on his chest. He whines as the forked tongue occasionally comes up to tease his nipples before wet lips seal over the nubs and suck. Fanged teeth nibble on the hardened flesh, pulling lightly, before letting go and moving back to finish licking up the white sperm. 

 

Once he’s done, he works his way back up Jack before shoving his tongue into the other’s mouth. Jack moans into the kiss, tasting himself of the serpents tongue, and hands move into Anti’s hair. They hear Marvin whine, and without breaking the kiss, Anti pulls Jack forward until the man is practically in the serpent’s lap. Marvin’s teeth finally release Jack’s shoulder in favor of trailing his lips down his owner’s spine. Jack gasps into the kiss as a rough tongue begins to clean up the mess on his back. When the feline is done, Anti leans back even further until Jack is on top of him. Marvin crawls over Jack soon after, and Anti huffs at the extra weight but doesn’t complain. 

 

Jack gets his breath back after the kiss is over and huffs as he looks first at Marvin then at Anti. “Fuck, guys, that was amazing.”

 

Anti smiles at him with fangs peeking out from between his lips. “You seemed stressed, so we thought we could help you out a bit.”

 

“Long day at work?” Marvin asks, and Jack lets out a long sigh. 

 

“Yeah, but if it means getting to do this again, then I’d gladly suffer it a hundred times over,” Jack replies, and the other two laugh.

 

“We’ll gladly give you this a hundred times over without making you suffer at work, Jack,” Anti replies, and Jack huffs out a sound of relief.

 

“Oh good,” Jack replies, “Because I was only half joking about the work thing.”

 

After the men catch their breath, they all get up and change into some fresh clothing. Jack heads into the kitchen soon after and begins to make them dinner. He tells them about his day as they eat the meal, and Anti offers to bite the kids ankles. Jack laughs, appreciating the offer but promptly declining explaining that he’d rather not be fired or sued.

 

Afterwards, the three end up cuddling on the couch and watch the evening news. Marvin ends up falling asleep against Jack, and Jack is leaning back against Anti’s chest. The snake is watching the images of various news stories dance across the screen when Jack turns his head slightly to look up at him. “Hey, Anti, can I ask you something?” Jack says to the serpent in a hushed voice as to not disturb Marvin. Anti hums in reply, eyes not moving from the screen, and Jack returns his gaze to the top of Marvin’s head where it rests on his chest. “Before I ask, know that you don’t have to answer.”

 

“What is it, Jack?” asks the serpent, and Jack takes a deep breath.

 

“What happened to Henrik’s wing?”

 

The serpent stiffens behind him, arm around his waist tightening, and Jack remains still. After a moment, the arm relaxes, and Jack hears Anti let out a long sigh. “Noticed my reaction, did you?”

 

Jack moves his hand to Anti’s, and the serpent intertwines their fingers. “I’m sorry,” Jack replies, “At the time, it didn’t register in my mind, but when I reflected back on it, I noticed that you were acting strange - almost like you were well aware of what Henrik was about to reveal. I know the deal was to tell you guys if anything was on my mind, but you don’t have to answer if--” 

 

Jack silences himself when Anti shushes him. Lips brush up against the back of Jack’s neck, and the man closes his eyes at the contact. “It’s okay, Jack. I’ll tell you.” Anti adjusts to get more comfortable, and Jack lets his head fall back on Anti’s shoulders as they recline on the couch. 

 

The serpent stays silent for a moment before he begins to tell Jack a story. “I wasn’t entirely truthful to you when I said that I’ve had an uneventful life as a snake. I told you that I’ve had two owners. The more recent one was the coworker you’ve met before. The life I had with them was what I was truthful about. My very first owner, however, was not as loving. It was a shitty farmer that captured me. They wanted to keep me as a pet, but they did a terrible job at it. No heat lamp, no hides, and both food and water was sparsely given to me when I needed it. They were like that with all of the various animals on that property.”

 

Jack listens silently as he pets Marvin’s ears and hair. The cat is purring happily in his sleep.

 

“One day, I had enough. I found enough strength to turn into a human and broke out of that shit excuse of a tank before my weak condition forced me to change back into a snake. I made it outside and slithered through fields and farmland until I came across a tree stump. On top of it sat a white dove.” Anti pauses in his explanation, and Jack rubs his thumb over Anti’s hand. The serpent squeezes Jack’s hand in response before continuing. “You can probably guess what happens next. I was desperate, hungry, and even though the bird was a little too big for my size, the urge for survival had taken over. I lashed out and struck, and my fangs sunk in as far as they could go.”

 

Anti raised his free hand to thumb at his own fangs, thinking for a moment on what to say next as the memory flashes through his mind.

 

“As a snake, my fangs aren’t that big. I don’t even thing I pierced his skin at first until he started thrashing around. I can still taste his blood in my mouth. I wrapped around him, restricting his movements, and I remember his wing snapping and breaking beneath my coiled body. The sounds that he made… they’ll never leave my head.” Anti pauses and lets his hand fall from his mouth to hang over the side of the couch. “That’s when he turned into a human form in his attempt to escape. But… It was too late.”

 

Jack remains still against the serpent, hearing focused as he listens to every word.

 

“You saw it with Jackie. Wounds inflicted on our animal form match proportionally to our human form when we change, and vise versa.”

 

“...Those bullet sized scars… so, what you’re saying is that those were your bitemarks?” Jack asks, and Anti nods in agreement against his neck.

 

“Yes. I did enough damage to his wing and back, and we struggled enough so much that most of his feathers were either broken or ripped from his body. When it was all over… they never did grow back after he removed the broken feathers.”

 

“What happened after he transformed into a human?” Jack asks.

 

“I thought he was going to kill me. I hadn’t realized that he was a half-breed. I was too focused on finding food that I didn’t even scent the man before I attacked him. But.. he did something I never expected him to do and took me to a local pet shelter. He left me in a box outside of the door and disappeared to tend to his own injuries. I got treated for my neglect, and once I was back into working condition, I was put up for adoption.”

 

“That’s when my other coworker adopted you?”

 

“Yes. I didn’t see Henrik again until a few years later when your coworker invited him over to do a physical checkup on me. I still remember his cold stare when I was first spotted. Of course, at one point, said coworker had to take a call and stepped outside the apartment. Henrik didn’t say a word as he slowly slipped off his lab coat and his uniform vet shirt to reveal what was left of his wing underneath.”

  
  


When Anti goes silent, Jack prompts him with another question. “What did he say?”

 

“At first? Nothing. The comparison of his two wings side by side was a statement in itself; one you experienced first hand the other night. It needs no description. Eventually, though, he asked me why I did it, and I explained everything - from the capture, to neglect, to the craving of hunger, and the desperation of having nothing left to lose. He was silent for a long time after that, considering my answer, but eventually he spoke again. Henrik told me that the farm I was in had burned down a few months ago, taking both the idiot farmer and all of the neglected animals with it. The official report was that the drunken farmer knocked over an oil lamp, and that the flames spread quickly.”

 

Jack remains silent, and a ounce of dread settles in the pit of his stomach. “And.. the unofficial report?”

 

Anti remains silent for a long moment before answering. “He never told me, and I never asked.”

 

Jack swallows, closing his eyes briefly, before nodding his head in response. “How did you talk to Henrik while you were a snake?”

 

“Animals don’t necessarily have to make sound to communicate. You’ve noticed how cats mainly meow at humans but not each other, right? It doesn’t mean that they’re silent. They just communicate differently. Same thing applies to us.”

 

They both watch as Marvin shifts in his sleep to get into a more comfortable position before he settles down on top of Jack once more. 

 

“... He finished up the health check by the time your coworker came back inside. Before he left, I apologized to him. The only sign I saw that said that he heard me was that he paused briefly in the doorway before he left the home. That wasn’t the last I heard from him, though. I heard through the coworker the next day that the guy wanted to become my regular veterinarian, and the other gladly accepted. Months later, I was taken for yet another check up. Side note, snakes don’t really need to go to the vet that often, so please don’t do that to me..”

 

Jack nods, accepting Anti’s request, and the serpent continues the story.

 

“Henrik ended up finding an ‘anomaly’ during one of check ups, which I immediately assumed complete bullshit, but the ever overworried coworker of yours believed every bit of it, and Henrik told them that he needed to keep me overnight so he can keep an eye on me. I had no idea why he was keeping me there at the time. At first, I thought he was finally going to cut my head off, but he never did when he met me twice before, so I wasn’t entirely sure why he would do so now.”

 

Jack purses his lips as he listens. Anti sighs against his skin, taking a breather before continuing. 

 

“He had other clients, so it wasn’t until the clinic was closed and the rest of the staff had left when he finally pulled me out of my temporary tank and into an exam room. Once the door was locked, he told me to transform so he could finally meet me face to face. I did just that, and I took his form this time instead of the former owner’s. It was just easier to do because my mind was far away from anything home related at that point.” Anti huffs in Jack’s ear, and the frustration was evident in his voice. “I was tired of dancing around the subject, so I instantly yelled at him. I wanted to know why he spared my life on so many occasions when I practically took his animal side away from him. I couldn’t understand why he treated me with… with such kindness after everything I did to him. I took away his ability to fly, I know he had something to do with the farm burning down, but I couldn’t understand why he never backlashed at me. You know what his answer was? ‘I’m a doctor. It’s my job to help someone who’s injured regardless of the state I’m in. I was caught off guard when you bit me, but you were just trying to survive. What you did was justified, and I should’ve been more aware of my surroundings.’ And then he...”

 

Anti’s arm tightens around Jack’s waist and buries his face in the crook of Jack’s neck.

 

“He.. he  _ forgave me. _ ”

 

Jack closes his eyes and leans back against the serpent as the other man takes a couple deep and shuddering breaths. 

 

“...He made love to me that night, right there on the exam table. He never stopped forgiving me, and I never stopped apologizing.” Jack feels the grip around him loosen again. “That was about ten years ago. We’ve been taking care of each other when we can ever since. In more recent years, I heard that he gave up being a doctor - went on vacation or something and just never came back. I was surprised when he walked into the office that day when we brought Marvin into get his shots. He was probably surprised to see me again, especially since I was in my human form in front of you. The rest is, well, history.”

 

Jack closes his eyes and smiles as Anti sighs against him. He can feel that the serpent is glad that he finally told the story to someone else that wasn’t involved. “Thank you for telling me, Anti. I can tell that it was a very personal affair of yours.”

 

“We don’t bring it up that often,” Anti explains, “We’d rather leave the past behind us, but Jackie must’ve ended up striking a strong enough nerve the other day to get Henrik to reveal his wings to him. You may have seen him walk around with his wings exposed the other day, but he really is self conscious about them. The color and style of the wings are part of what makes a bird unique. He still has one wing, but…”

 

“I understand,” Jack responds, and the serpent sighs.

 

“Even if he forgave me, I’ve never forgiven myself. Everytime I see him, that memory pops into my mind at least once.”

 

“Then we’ll make more memories with him,” Jack offers, and Anti remains silent as he waits for the other to explain himself. “We can’t drown out those memories, but we can make new ones to make up for them. How’s that sound?”

 

Anti huffs, and Jack feels a smile against his neck. “I suppose that it’s a start.”

 

They share a kiss as the news turns into a game show, and Marvin snores soundly as he sleeps. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Allo! So, I have one more chapter after this, but then I'm gonna be SUPER BUSY AS ALL HELL NEXT WEEK T^T (nooooooooo!)  
> So, I'll update when I can, but the stuff I have to do next week has a high priority, and it's gonna consume most of my time. Sorry about that! Just know that this isn't dead, just on hold a bit. 
> 
> Again, I'll put one more chapter up sometime tomorrow, but then I gotta go adult somewhere else for a bit.  
> Thanks for understanding! Let me know what you think, should you so choose, and I'll see ya in the next chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Henrik go on a Coffee Date!
> 
> Jack: It's not a date!
> 
> Anti: It's totally a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot (if you squint) in the beginning, then the rest is smut this chapter.  
> I wanted to write a winter-themed date!   
> More actual plot development will happen in later chapters, promise! Just had to get this scene out of my system :3  
> Enjoy!

“Jaysus, will you stop nitpicking at your outfit? You’re giving me anxiety,” Anti tells Jack, and the other man turns around from where he’s standing in front of the full length mirror. 

 

Jack’s hair is styled proper, with just the right amount of floof, and he’s dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans, a black, thin sweater, and a pair of nice, black shoes. His outerwear consists of his long winter coat, a dark grey scarf, and thin, black winter gloves. 

  
  


~*~

Episode 12: A Cup of Coffee Poured for Two

~*~

  
  


“Sorry,” Jack replies and forces his hands to rest at his sides. 

 

Anti huffs. “What’s with the get-up, anyway? I thought you were just going out for coffee?”

 

“Anti, they’re going on a date,” Marvin chimes in, “It’s appropriate to dress nicely for the other in those situations.”

 

“Oh, it’s an actual date?”

 

Jack doubletakes at Anti and Marvin’s response. “Hey, wait a minute--”

 

“Yeah. Also, they dress up sometimes when they want to get laid,” Marvin adds, and Jack sputters for an answer.

 

Anti beats him to it. “Like how animals dance in order to attract their mate?”

 

“Exactly,” the feline replies.

 

“ _MARVIN!_ ” Both half breeds turn their heads to look at Jack. Their owner is blushing madly when he continues, “It’s not a date! We’re just going out for coffee, and I didn’t want to look like a hobo!”

 

Both men stare at him a moment before Anti and Marvin look at each other. “Guess we’re fending for ourselves until morning, eh?” asks Anti.

 

“It isn’t like that! I’m not staying out all night!” Jack exclaims, but both ignore him.

 

“Jack already ordered pizza for us,” Marvin answers, “We can have cereal in the morning.”

 

Anti hums. “That’ll do.”

 

“Are you two even listening to me?” asks Jack right when the doorbell rings. He huffs before going to the door. He opens it up to reveal Henrik dressed in a brown sweater, white dress shirt, tan slacks, dark blue scarf, light brown gloves, black shoes, and a dark winter coat. In his hand are a bouquet of purple tulips wrapped in yellow paper and a white ribbon.

 

“Good evening Jack, and to both of you as well,” Henrik greets the men. He takes one of Jack’s hands and brings it to his lips before kissing it. “I must say that you look as stunning as ever, love.”

 

Jack stands there, stuttering for words as he numbly accepts the flowers, and his face is as red as a tomato. Anti leans over to Marvin, and they both have a smile on their face. “ _Definitely_ not seeing him till morning.”

After placing the tulips in a vase and setting them on a kitchen counter, Jack heads out the door with Henrik, and the doctor drives them to the ‘downtown’ part of the city. There’s a light snowfall that night, Christmas being right around the corner, and white festive lights decorate the alleys full of various shops, restaurants, and cafes. Soft music plays throughout the bustling walkways and side streets as various groups of families, couples, and christmas shoppers flow around the two men. 

 

Their first stop is a little cafe, a favorite of Jack’s, and when they go inside, a bell above the door moves with a ‘ding-a-ling’. Jack orders and brings over their drinks to where Henrik has claimed a small table by the window. They talk about mundane things as they watch people pass by. They make up stories about each commuter before they change the subject to themselves. First, it’s about work. Henrik says that he’s staying busy, making various house calls in between working at the clinic, but overall there’s nothing that’s happened recently worth mentioning in detail. Jack tells Henrik that his job is fine. He always gets the typical combination of rude and overly sarcastic customers, but now and then he gets a nice and patient enough person to make his day a little more bearable. Jack likes and gets along well with his coworkers, and that fact alone makes his job easier. “Ever think about pursuing another career?” Henrik asks him, and Jack shakes his head ‘no’.

 

“I did go to college for a bit,” Jack explains, “but it was just for general studies. I never went anywhere with it. I’m pretty content with what I have right now, but maybe one day I might go do something else.”

 

“That’s understandable,” Henrik replies, and Jack sips on his cup of coffee. “No need to force yourself to do anything you don’t want to do. Sometimes, it’s better to see where life will take you until you decide to change course.”

They finish their drinks and head outside to browse some of the shops. Henrik ends up buying an older novel while walking through a bookstore, and Jack picks himself up some records when they come across a music shop. They also end up doing a little bit of Christmas shopping, buying various sweets and trinkets, including a deck of Uno cards for Anti and a couple of comic books for Jackie.

 

Another cafe is where they choose to have dinner. The place sells various foods and pastries, and the men end up buying a couple sandwiches. Jack also orders another round of coffee for himself while Henrik’s drink of choice is tea. Their table ends up being in a more private spot near the back of the cafe. A glow of an oil lamp is the only thing that illuminates their table, and both Jack and Henrik remove their gloves and coats. They set them down on either the table or back of their chairs before sitting down to eat. 

 

“Thank you for coming out with me tonight,” Henrik says to Jack, “I’ve been having a lovely time with you.”

 

“Of course, Henrik,” Jack replies with a smile, “Thank you for the invitation. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so I’m kinda rusty.” Henrik smiles warmly back at him, kind eyes shining from the glow of the lamp, and the sight makes Jack’s heart flutter a little. The other man chuckles as he listens to Jack’s heart skip a beat, and Jack blushes lightly.

 

“Your heartbeat flatters this old man, Jack,” Henrik states.

 

Jack scoffs. “We’re the same  _ age _ . Don’t call us old.” He takes a bite of his sandwich to make his point, and Henrik laughs before reaching over and brushing a crumb off of Jack’s lip.

 

“My mistake,” the doctor replies as he moves his thumb to pull at Jack’s bottom lip, and the other man’s face turns red before Henrik pulls his hand away. He asks Jack if he’s alright while knowing full well what he’s did to the poor man, and Jack coughs and tells Henrik that he’s fine. The doctor starts to think he crossed the line somewhere before he feels Jack’s legs press into his own. When Henrik catches Jack’s gaze, the other quickly looks away and stuffs his face full of food. Henrik closes his eyes and smiles before he digs into his own meal.

 

Once they finish with dinner and Jack’s face turns back to a normal shade of color, they pull their winter gear back on and head outside once more. Henrik directs Jack to walk to the far end of the shops where the bay front lines the city. It’s darker at the pier, only the occasional overhead light to guide their way, but it’s mostly empty due to people wanting to stay indoors and near the shops to avoid the cool winter air. 

 

They find a private little spot, darkness shrouding them as they stand away from the lights, and they watch and listen as the water moves lightly against the rocks and beach below. The occasional fishing boat travels across the surface in the distance, and they follow it with their eyes as it passes by. Jack eventually reaches over to take Henrik’s hand in his own, and the doctor moves it enough where their fingers intertwine. 

 

They stand there and watch the world for a while before Jack decides to speak. “There’s something that you should know.” He feels Henrik squeeze his hand before his thumb caresses the back of his own. “It’s about Anti. He.. He told me how he met you.” The thumb stills over his hand, and Jack breaks his gaze from the water to look down at his feet. “I asked, and he told me everything. I saw how he had reacted when you first showed us your wings, and you told me to tell you guys whatever was on my mind, so I did, and… I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that it was such a personal thing between you two. Anti said that you didn’t like to talk about it, but I didn’t want you to go around not knowing that I knew. I’m sorry.”

 

Henrik is quiet for a long moment, eyes not leaving the surface of the water, but he never lets go of Jack’s hand either. Eventually, the thumb against his own starts moving across it again, and the doctor lets out a sigh. “I appreciate you telling me,” he says to Jack before turning to the man. Jack turns to face him, and Henrik chuckles. “That damn tattle-tale of a snake.”

 

“It’s my fault,” Jack defends, “I should’ve asked you, or better yet, never to have asked at all. It was none of my business.”

 

“You’re perfectly fine, love,” the doctor reassures Jack, and the other blushes at the nickname. “Keeping secrets from you only made us nearly lose you. If you have questions, ask. We might not answer right away, but we’ll come around when we feel comfortable to tell you.” Henrik watches as Jack searches the other’s eyes with his own, and the doctor raises his hand to Jack’s cheek. The other hand lets go of Jack’s in favor of resting on the man’s hip, and Henrik leans his face close to Jack’s until they’re nose to nose. Jack’s eyes flutter half shut as his own hands perch on Henrik’s arm and hip, and he licks his lips as the doctor’s breath ghosts over his own. “I’m going to kiss you, now,” he informs Jack, and the other swallows.

 

“O-Okay,” Jack whispers, and cold lips close the distance and press against his own. The chaste kiss becomes more firm as the seconds tick by, and Henrik tilts his head while letting his tongue peak out to lick along Jack’s bottom lip. Jack parts his mouth immediately, and the doctor dives in. The hand on Henrik’s arm slides up until fingers card through his hair, and the man responds by maneuvering Jack until his back is pressed against the guard rail. 

 

Jack moans as he’s slightly bent backwards over the railing, the force caused by the doctor pressing impossibly close against him, and Henrik wraps both arms around the other man to make sure he doesn’t fall. The light snowfall mixes with their breaths between kisses as they break for air, and soft music can be heard in the distance. Jack and Henrik get lost in each other’s presence as another fishing boat travels across the water and causes the reflection to ripple.  

  
  


They eventually break the kiss, both panting slightly as they catch their breath, and Henrik’s eyes watch Jack’s tongue as the other licks his lips. Jack’s own eyes darken as Henrik bites his own lower lip at the sight of Jack. “I know what we agreed to, about this just being coffee,” Henrik starts, “but I would very much like to take you back home with me and have my way with you tonight. Would you let me, Jack?”

 

Jack whines high in his throat. “F-Fuckin hell,” Jack manages to say before pulling the man back into another heated kiss. He presses back into him and lets his hips rock a couple times before he parts enough to finish his answer. “ _ Yes, please _ .”

 

Henrik smiles before giving Jack one last kiss, reaches down to grab their purchases with one hand, taking Jack’s hand with another, and leads him back through the streets and into his car. 

 

Jack’s back is pressed against Henrik’s bedroom door once it’s shut, and the packages are dropped to the floor before the doctor is on him. The man starts peppering Jack’s neck and shoulder with kisses as he pulls his scarf away to reveal more skin. Henrik presses one leg in between the other’s, and Jack’s head falls back against the door with a ‘thunk’ as he works the doctor’s winter coat and scarf off the man. The garments fall to the floor, and Jack works on pulling off the doctor’s sweater and dress shirt. Henrik claims Jack’s mouth with his own, distracting the man on his quest to remove his clothes, and the doctor shoves the other man’s coat off. The Jack’s scarf follows soon after, and Henrik shoves his tongue into Jack’s mouth as he pushes up the thin sweater up until it’s bunched under Jack’s armpits. Hands immediately begin to explore his chest, thumbs and fingers teasing and rubbing his nipples, and Jack whines into the kiss as he rocks his hips against Henrik’s thigh.

 

Hands scramble against the doctor’s back, desperately trying to remove the man’s clothes, and Henrik parts enough to where he removes the sweater before diving back in. They find each other’s mouths once more as Jack wraps his arms around the doctor’s shoulders. His free leg raises up as Henrik’s hands move to cup his ass, and the limb hooks around the doctors waist as they rock and make out against the door. 

 

Henrik eventually pulls away, gently lowering Jack’s leg before leading the man over to the bed and guiding him to lie on his back. The doctor pulls off Jack’s shoes and socks off along with his own before he follows and straddles the man’s hips. Henrik grinds their hips together as he works on unbuttoning his own dress shirt. Jack watches, moans slipping through his lips as hands rest on the doctors thighs, as Henrik finishes the last button and lets the material slip off of his shoulders. His wings spread out from behind his back as the shirt lands on the bed, and Jack swallows as Henrik’s hands rest on each side of Jack’s head. The doctor’s frame towers over him, wings coming around to cocoon them both, and Jack whines when Henrik growls low in his throat. Jack pulls the man down into a kiss, and the doctor moves to settle onto his forearms as clothed cocks rock and roll against each other. The bottom man starts bucking after a while, desperate to feel more friction, and the doctor moves one hand down Jack’s torso, hand massaging the tent in his pants before he sits back on Jack’s thighs and works on opening the fly. Jack takes the time to remove his shirt the rest of the way, tossing it to the side, before letting his own hands work on removing the slacks. As soon as the button is undone and the zippers are down, both shove their own trousers and underwear down and off the bed. 

 

Henrik is about to push Jack back down, currently in a sitting position when they removed their pants, when he sees the man’s eyes staring at his wings. The doctor doesn’t move as the other’s hands slowly reach up and come to rest on his broken wing. He feels the fingers rest over the jagged juncture before they begin to pet the soft feathers there. Jack moves his right hand to Henrik’s left wing before letting both palms dance and glide over the feathers oh-so-gently. The doctor’s eyes close when the hands move near the base of the wings, and Henrik lets out a sigh and whimper as fingertips pet and massage the skin there. Jack leans in to kiss his chest and neck as he gives the doctor attention, and Henrik struggles to get his mind back on track. The doctor pulls Jack’s hands away from his wings, kissing the man when worry crosses his face, and he gets off of Jack before pulling the man to his feet.

 

Jack watches, confused, as Henrik walks over to his dresser and pulls out a couple bath towels before coming back and wrapping one around Jack’s waist. Henrik does the same with his own towel before taking Jack’s hand and leading him out of the room and into one of the large bathrooms. He shuts and locks the door behind them before walking over to the large tub and turning on the faucet. It’s rectangular in shape, installed next to the shower, and has two metal handles and a water spout mounted on one of the sides. The doctor plugs the drain before pulling off their towels and puts his hand into the warm stream of water.

 

Once coated, Henrik pulls their hips together, lips finding Jack’s own as his soaked hand works on pumping both of their cocks together. Jack moans, hands gripping the doctor’s biceps, and thrusts his hips into the other man’s fist. The pressure isn’t nearly enough to get Jack off, and Henrik knows this, but he doesn’t want this to end so soon. Once the tub is full, and Jack is is a panting mess, Henrik turns the water off and guides them into the tub. 

 

The doctor sits down, back against one of the sides, wings raised up and out of the water, and Jack immediately kneels down and presses against him. Henrik’s lips find Jack’s own, and the man lets his hands cup and knead Jack’s ass as the other man’s arms wrap tightly around Henrik’s neck. 

 

The fingers on his ass travel until the tips of them start brushing against his entrance, and Jack breaks the kiss to moan as one of the digits push in until the first knuckle. “H-Henrik”

 

The said man hums as lips and tongue assault the side of Jack’s neck before pulling away. “Turn around for me,” Henrik requests and Jack complies. The doctor guides his hips until his asshole is above the water, Jack propping himself up against the bathtub’s edge, before reaching over and grabbing the bottle of body wash. Jack watches over his shoulder as the other man coats his fingers before capping the bottle and setting it to the side. Slick fingers rub at his entrance, and Jack’s head falls forward with a loud moan as one finger slides all the way in. “Fuck, Henrik.”

 

“You doing alright there, Jack?” the man asks, and he can see Jack nod his head in agreement. 

 

“Yeah, I’m good, just-- please, more. I need more,” Jack pants out his reply, and Henrik immediately complies by pushing in a second finger, scissoring him open, before curling his fingers and expertly finding his prostate. Henrik’s free hand comes up to support Jack as his hips buck and causes him to slide against the tub. The doctor mumbles an apology, the smile on his face not matching the words from his mouth, but Jack’s too lost in the pleasure to care. 

 

Henrik slips in a third finger after a moment, lips pressing open-mouthed kisses to one of his ass cheeks as he watches the hole spread around and suck in his fingers. The noises coming out of Jack is a constant stream of moans, whines, and curses as the digits inside him brush the sensitive ball of nerves over and over again. Jack calls out Henrik’s name, begging him for something, anything really, and the doctor makes sure Jack is stable before moving his free hand around to stroke Jack’s dick. Jack shouts as Henrik distracts the man from his asshole and pushes the fourth and final finger into him. He twists his hand, stretching Jack as much as he can, before he guides the man to sit back down into the tub.

 

The fingers in his ass work to clean out all of the soap, and Jack presses back into Henrik as the man nips and licks at his neck. The other hand works on Jack’s cock, and Jack moves his hips while he brings one arm up and around the doctor’s neck while his other hand settles over the one pumping his dick. “H-Henrik,  _ Henrik _ , please!”

 

“Patience, love, I’ll make sure you get everything you need,” Henrik replies, whispering into his ear, and Jack whines as the man squeezes his hand around the crown of his cock. “God, Jack, you’re so beautiful like this. I can’t wait to have you spread out on my bed once more, so open and ready for me. I want to push inside you, to claim you, and to love you.” Jack whimpers at the praise, head turning away from the sweet words, and the doctor removes his hand from Jack’s ass in order to move his face back towards the doctor’s own. “I love your smile, your laugh, your determination - there’s not one thing I don’t love about you, Jack.” He slows his hand down on Jack’s cock as he watches the other gain enough focus to understand what Henrik is staying. 

 

His lips are parted, and his chest is heaving with each breath, but Henrik can tell through the other’s eyes that he’s hanging onto every word. It’s the same look he gave him when Henrik first met Jack; The determination, love, and resolve he found there when Jack refused to give up his family shines back into Henrik’s eyes right now, and the doctor smiles as he gives into the urge to kiss the man on his lap. Jack returns the kiss before the doctor pulls away to finish his thought. “There’s nothing I would change about you.”

 

Jack’s breath catches in his throat, and he closes his eyes as a wave of emotions crashes over his heart. When the man opens his eyes once more, he turns back around in Henrik’s lap to give the man a proper kiss, and Henrik’s arms wrap around the man to embrace him.

 

Henrik pulls the plug to the drain and helps Jack out of the tub before stepping out himself. They dry each other off between kisses before heading back to the bedroom. Once there, Jack is guided up the bed and instructed to lay down on his chest with his knees tucked up underneath him. The man does so, and Henrik grabs the bottle of lube and a condom before settling in behind Jack. The doctor coats his fingers in the slick substance before he pushes two fingers into the pre-stretched entrance. Jack moans long and low as the fingers curl against his prostate, and Henrik quickly adds the third, then forth, before leaning his mouth down and letting his tongue tease the stretched rim. He feels the other arch his back before his hips begin to rock back into Henriks face, and the doctor smiles as his fingers brush against the sensitive spot once more. Jack’s hands grip at the bedsheets, face pressing into the comforter, as Henrik reaches around with his free hand and pumps the other’s cock in time with his fingers.

 

Eventually, the fingers slip out of his ass and the mouth pulls away. Jack whines from the loss, but the doctor kisses his lower back as he slips a condom on and slicks himself up. Once done, Henrik crawls over Jack, chest press to back, and one forearm frames Jack’s head as the other hand is used to guide him in. Both men groan loudly as Henrik pushes in until he bottoms out, and the doctor’s remaining arm frames the other side of Jack’s head. Hips stay still a moment, giving Jack time to adjust, and the man beneath Henrik moves his hands until he can grip some part of the doctor’s arms. 

 

Henrik peppers Jack’s face, neck, and shoulders with kisses, and Jack is overwhelmed by the amount of passion, care, and love that the man is giving to him. The resulting emotions swirl in his mind, making his head spin and heart fill to the brink with happiness and acceptance.

The doctor begins to move, hips pulling out only an inch before thrusting in, but soon they’re longer thrusts, and Jack becomes a panting mess. Henrik ends up hitting Jack’s prostate with every thrust. Hands move to intertwine with one another, and Jack whines when Henrik moves his face close to Jack’s own. The scene is extremely intimate, and all of the sensations makes his heart want to burst. “H-Henrik,” Jack whispers, and lips kiss the corner of his own. 

 

“I’m right here, Jack. I got you,” The doctor replies, and Jack’s breath hitches.

 

“I wanna see you,” Jack pleads, and Henrik hums. “please, Henrik.”

 

Kisses pepper his neck and back as the other pulls up and out of him. Jack moves onto his back immediately, and Henrik repositions himself between his legs before pushing back in. White pristine and broken wings cocoon over both of them as Henrik presses his chest up against Jack’s own, and the other wraps both his legs around his hips as the doctor resumes thrusting into him. It’s too much and not enough as Henrik reaches between them and begins to stroke Jack in time with his thrusts, and the grip on the doctor’s biceps tighten as the thumb teases the slit. 

 

Jack leans up to kiss him, and their tongues dance with each other once again. His hands wander to the base of Henrik’s wings and begin to pet and massage the feathers and flesh he finds there. The doctor’s hips stutter when Jack finds a sensitive spot and he immediately focuses on it, digging his fingers in deeper into the sore muscles there, and Henrik breaks the kiss with a groan. “That’s, hah, that’s cheating, using my wings against me.” Jack smirks in response and double-down’s his efforts. Henrik curses and lets his head rest against Jack’s shoulder. “F-Fuck, Jack, a little down and _ , yes, _ that’s  _ perfect. _ ” 

 

The said man leans up to nip, lick, and kiss the doctor’s shoulder and neck as the sparks of pleasure racing up the man’s back causes his hips to rock into Jack at a faster rhythm. The head of his cock brushes against Jack’s prostate with each thrust. “Fuck, Henrik, I’m--I’m really close.”

 

Henrik moves his face enough where he captures Jack’s lips in a sloppy kiss. The hand on Jack’s cock picks up its pace, paying particular attention to the head and slit, and after a particular combination of hitting his prostate in time with pressing against the vein on his cock, Jack is arching his back and spilling over the edge. Ropes of cum splatter across his chest and stomach, and his ass clamping down around Henrik makes the other man come deep inside him. White wings fan out and flutter, and Henrik shouts Jack’s name as his own orgasm rips through his body in waves of pleasure. Jack moans as he feels the heat of the doctors seed pressing against the rubber inside him, and he wraps his arms and legs fully around Henrik when he collapses on top of him. 

 

They lay there panting for a bit as they come down from the pleasure induced high, but eventually Henrik nuzzles his face into the crook of Jack’s neck as he works his arms under the man’s back to embrace him.

 

“I had a thought,” the doctor states, and Jack hums as he runs his fingers through Henrik’s hair. “Condoms can get expensive. I should get us all tested.” Henrik pulls back enough to meet a confused Jack face to face. “Because the next time I have you, I want nothing but a layer of lube separating our skin.”

 

Jack’s face immediately flushes bright red as he stutters for a response, and Henrik chuckles before leaning down and kissing his nose. Eventually, the other agrees, and Henrik leans down to kiss the man properly before lifting up and pulling out of Jack. The doctor takes care of the condom and grabs one of their used towels from earlier to clean themselves off. 

 

Jack watches the doctor wander around with lazy smile on his face before Henrik turns off the lights and climbs into bed with him. Henrik lays half on top of Jack, wings more comfortable when his back isn’t against the mattress, and Jack pulls the covers over them. They both sigh, eyes staring into each other since they’re nose to nose, and both men peck at each other’s lips occasionally until sleep finally claims them.

 

Jack is pulled awake from a deep slumber by a mouth working on his dick, and the corner of Henrik’s lips curl into a smile as he hears the man curse loudly from the pleasure. It doesn’t take Jack long, still too tired to hold it back, and Jack’s shooting cum down Henrik’s throat a few moments after he wakes up. The man swallows it all, and Jack’s head spins from his mind going from zero to sixty in about 5 seconds flat. 

 

The doctor pulls off, licking his lips before kissing his way back up Jack’s body and capturing the man’s mouth with his own. Jack moans, hands immediately weaving their way into Henrik’s hair, and he tastes himself on the doctor’s tongue as he opens his mouth to let him in. Henrik takes the man in his arms, not breaking the kiss, and pulls him up and off the bed. The man grabs a condom before pulling Jack back into the shower, and Jack’s legs wrap around Henrik as he props him up against the shower wall and pushes into Jack’s still slick hole. Hot water pours down their bodies as Henrik thrusts into him, and it’s not long before another orgasm is ripped from Jack. Henrik follows soon after, and they collapse on the shower floor. Jack doesn’t let go, Henrik doesn’t push him away, so they stay there and make out until the water turns cold. 

 

By the time they do get dressed for the day, between the playful gropes and heated makeout sessions, it’s high noon. They end up making their way to the kitchen, and Chase turns to them while flaring his nose at the smell of soap and sex. “Warn a guy before you let your moans carry through the house,” the hound states. 

 

Henrik laughs at Chase’s misfortune as Jack blushes beside him. “Spur of the moment, I assure you,” the doctor replies, “We weren’t that loud, though.”

 

Chase scoffs at him. “We’re half breeds! We have sensitive hearing!”

 

Jack eventually laughs and apologizes to the hound. Jackie comes into the room and slides his hands into the front pockets of Chase’s jeans as he stands behind the hound. The Cardinal rests his chin on his shoulder and gives the dog a brief kiss on his cheek. “I dunno, man, their moans seemed to really turn you on last night as I fucked you into my mattress--”

 

“JACKIE!” Chase cuts the man off, and Henrik raises an eyebrow with a smile. Jack laughs at the fact that the tables have turned on the man. 

 

“What?” The man replies, but he knows damn well ‘what’, “Not like Henrik couldn’t hear your own growls. You were really feisty--”

 

“For fucks sake--  _ THEY DO NOT NEED TO KNOW THAT!” _

 

Henrik looks over at Jack while the other two parry arguments back and forth. The man is watching them with a smile, and the doctor decides to walk up behind Jack and wrap his arms around the man. Jack leans back into him, and the doctor whispers into his ear, “I had such a lovely time with you. I’d love to do this again. Would you like to have another coffee date with me in the near future?”

 

The smile Jack gives him fills Henrik with a pleasant warmth. “I’d be honored to, Henrik.”

 

“You two are so cute,” Jackie states.

 

“Yeah,” Chase adds, “So sappy to the point where I can gag-- OW!” The hound rubs the spot where Jackie pinched him while the others laugh. 

 

Eventually, Henrik drives Jack back home. Once parked in the driveway, Jack unbuckles his seatbelt and reaches for the handle before stopping and looking back at the doctor. He leans over and gives the doctor a long kiss, and the other brings a hand up to cup Jack’s cheek. 

 

Henrik hums pleasantly to himself as the kiss breaks. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to take you right here in my car if you don’t leave.”

 

Jack blushes but smiles back at him. “Perhaps another day. I have a cat and a snake that needs some love and attention.”

 

Henrik chuckles and Jack gets out of the car. “Fair enough. May you have a proper day, dearest.”

 

“Do you always talk that way?” Jack asks.

 

“Only when I want to see you flustered,” is the doctor’s response, and Jack laughs with a blush on his face.

 

They bid their goodbyes, and Jack watches Henrik drive away before entering his home. He finds Marvin asleep on top of Anti in the living room, and the two wake up as he shuts the door. Marvin sits up first, stretching his back like a cat’s, before standing, and Anti is up soon after. The feline walks up to Jack and wraps his arms around the man’s neck. Jack returns the embrace and smiles into the brief kiss Marvin gives him. Anti slinks up behind him, resting his hands on his owners hips, and hums. “‘I’ll be back tonight’ he said,” speaks Anti.

 

Marvin chuckles and joins in. “‘It’s just coffee’ he said.”

  
  


Jack rolls his eyes with a smile. “Yeah, yeah, fuck off, both of you,” Jack retorts, but there’s no heat in those words. Anti and Marvin laugh as they cuddle up into him with a unison greeting of ‘Welcome home.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!   
> Thanks for reading! This was kind-of a side scene chapter. I wanted to write a Coffee Shop Date scene, so I decided to do so here.   
> Sorry that there wasn't a lot of plot development in this one. Again, just wanted to get it out of my system :P
> 
> Also! Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, Life is calling me, and my teammates on a project are forcing me to answer >.> THUS! Updates are probably gonna be on hold for about a week (... unless the project my team is working on goes to shit, then ignore this message). 
> 
> Thanks for all the love and support for both this fic and myself, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Hope you have a great week~


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I'm back! Sorry about going MIA for longer than expected. I needed to take some time for myself.  
> Updates will still be slow going, BUT I hope to make more regular posts soon! 
> 
> Thanks for your patience!
> 
> Though it's part of the chapter, this is for  
> 1) Youtube_Fandom_Fan2018 for wanting more animal side stuff, and for  
> 2) PoemIsDead because without her, I would not know how snakes worked. 
> 
> Thank you, lovelies~ :D
> 
> ALSO! There's only kisses here - two lines, maybe, for those who wanted to know

The sound and smell of bacon sizzling and eggs cooking greet the morning sun as Jack stands at the stove dressed in his work uniform. He brings one hand up to cover his mouth as he yawns, and he sighs contently as the machine next to him finishes brewing a pot of coffee. 

 

Marvin is half asleep at the table, one hand wrapped around a glass of half-drunken milk, his head resting in his other arm that lays on the table, and his tail twitches contently as he listens to the sounds of his owner making breakfast. 

 

Soon, the food is done being cooked, and Jack dishes up the morning meal. He pours himself a cup of coffee and turns around to see Anti walk into the kitchen with a ‘mornin’’ on his lips. 

 

Marvin picks up his head when the serpent enters, and his ears twitch on his head. “... Why does your skin look so weird?” asks the feline. Anti blinks back at him lazily as his tired mind tries to process the question.

 

It’s not after the first sip of coffee where Jack’s own mind processes Anti’s appearance, and he nearly drops the cup of bean juice when he finally understands Marvin’s question towards the serpent. Anti looks down at his bare arms and notices that the skin has a foggy appearance. “...Oh. That.”

  
  


~*~

Episode 13: The Life of a Snake

~*~

 

“ _ Shedding?! _ ” exclaims Jack. 

 

They’re at the table now, food half eaten, and Marvin eats happily on a piece of toast as Jack looks at Anti in shock. The serpent is quite a sight, really; His eyes are clouded over, and his skin is even paler than before. It looks like he’s wearing a second skin, and as Jack thinks more about what shedding actually is, he realizes that it’s a thought that can be taken quite literally. 

 

Anti doesn’t seem bothered by it at all, and the serpent sips on his morning tea as Jack gapes at him. “I thought it was obvious,” Anti replies, “but I am part snake, Jack. Hard to believe, I know, but it’s true.”

 

“Smartass,” Jack replies with a huff but there’s still worry in his eyes. 

 

“Is it painful?” asks the feline.

 

Anti shakes his head ‘no’. “It’s more of a pain in the ass to deal with than anything else. It’s completely natural.”

 

“So, like, what happens now?” Jack asks, “I didn’t even know you could shed in human form.

  
“Neither did I,” replies the snake, “I’ve never been in my human form when it happened.” Anti sits there and thinks a moment before continuing, “I guess I’ll turn back into a snake for a while. I’m pretty sure you don’t want a human-sized layer of shedded skin to take care of.” Anti snickers to himself as Jack’s eyes go wide at the visual that flashes in his mind from the statement. 

 

Jack looks over at the tank after he composes himself. “Is there anything that I need to get for you to help?” he asks, and Anti follows his gaze over to the glass container. 

 

He looks it over a moment before responding. “Not really. Just be sure to fill up the water dish so I can use it to cool off. Otherwise, the hide and other stuff is enough for me to rub against while I shed.” Anti looks back at Jack, and the other turns to meet his gaze. The serpent sees the worry reflected in Jack’s eyes, and Anti smiles softly. “Again, It’s completely natural, Jack, and besides, Marvin will be here to translate for me while I’m a snake.”

 

Jack stares back at the man before looking at the feline. Marvin nods and smiles, and Jack wishes he could be as laid back as the white-eared man. He looks between the two men once more before nodding in acceptance. “Okay. I’m probably going to have more questions later, but.. I trust you.” 

Jack works through his shift on auto pilot as his brain comes up with more questions for Anti. The man decided that he was going to wait until evening to change back so that Jack could talk to him some more. He has a full list for the serpent by the time his shift ends, and after he stops by the pet store to get more water conditioner for Anti, he goes back home where both men are waiting for him. Anti explains to the other two a more detailed breakdown on what happens when the serpent sheds. 

 

The first few signs of the process appear about a week before it actually occurs; However, Anti tells them that it normally doesn’t happen to him till about two days before the actual event. It takes another couple days, once it starts, to get shed completely. The water tray is now prepped, and, again, his hide will be enough to rub against to help with the process. 

 

They watch TV on the couch together, and Marvin ends up falling asleep on Jack’s lap again. It isn’t until Jack starts nodding off against Anti’s shoulder when the serpent decides that it’s time for them to go to bed. Jack yawns as Anti stands up from the couch, and Marvin rubs the sleep from his own eyes. “Are you turning back into a snake?” Marvin asks sleepily, and Anti nods as he walks toward and bends down over the sitting feline. 

 

Jack watches as Anti captures Marvin’s lips with his own, and the feline mewls softly into the kiss. He blushes when the serpent deepens the kiss, and Marvin’s hands grip the material of Anti’s black shirt when his tongue invades the others mouth. Anti holds Marvin back when he breaks the kiss, and the feline growls as the serpent smirks down at him. “D-don’t tease me,” Marvin hisses, and Anti chuckles before giving him one more quick peck.

 

“I don’t get to join you guys for a few days. I gotta get what I can before I change,” Anti replies and stands up. Marvin lets go of him as the other moves over to Jack, and the man swallows as Anti takes his hand and pulls him up onto his feet. Once Jack is stable, Anti lets his arms drape over the other’s shoulders. Jack lets his own hands rest on the serpent’s hips, and their foreheads come to rest against each other’s softly. His eyes stare into the Anti’s own, and the serpent smiles as Jack pouts. “Hey,” Anti whispers.

 

“Hey,” Jack replies. Anti closes the distance between their lips, and both let their eyes shut as they make contact. Anti makes out with him the same way as he did with Marvin, and Jack feels his toes curl against the soft carpet beneath his feet as his grip tightens on Anti’s waist. 

 

Jack is vaguely aware of Marvin purring in the background when the two finally part. Warm, clouded eyes stare back at him when Jack opens his own once more, and they smile at each other. Anti tells Jack to close his eyes, and the other blinks lazily before doing as requested. The air shifts around them and Jack can see the tell-tale flash of light behind his eyelids as Anti changes into his animal state. Loose clothes drape over his arm, and the snake is curled lightly over his neck and shoulders when he opens his eyes once more. The fog-like skin is more prominent against the earthly colored scales, and he sees Marvin stand up and get a better look at the serpent’s appearance. 

 

They finally bid each other a ‘good night’ as Jack sets him inside his tank. He double checks everything makes sure Anti’s habitat is adequate and functioning before turning off the rest of the lights, locking the door, and following Marvin down the hall to go to bed.

The next few days are uneventful. Marvin keeps Anti company when Jack goes to work, and they both eat their meals in the living room so the serpent doesn’t feel abandoned. Marvin does end up being the translator for their conversations, since Jack can’t understand the serpent directly, but they find a rhythm in how to communicate between one another, and everyone seems to have adapted smoothly into their new situation. Everytime Jack comes home, he can see that more of Anti’s skin has started to separate and move away, and he’s been assured by the serpent that everything is progressing as normal. The assurance eases Jack, and fascination begins to take over the worry in his mind. 

 

One morning, Jack is woken up by Marvin’s hand shaking his shoulder lightly. When his blurry vision of sleep finally clears from his eyes, he sees the feline standing by the side of the bed with a worried expression on his face. “Jack, it’s Anti…” Marvin whispers to him, and it takes Jack a second to process the words before his eyes widen. 

 

The feline steps back as Jack sits up straight in the bed. The man throws back the covers and gets off the mattress before following Marvin out into the hall and into the living room. The snake opens his eyes as he hears Jack approach and raises his head to meet Jack’s gaze as the man kneels by the tank. Jack raises one hand and lets the fingertips rest on the glass as he looks over the snake. “Hey Anti,” Jack greets him with worry in his voice, “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

 

The snake looks over at Marvin, and the feline listens intently as Anti explains the situation. Jack tries to not let the silence he hears get to him.

 

“Anti says that the humans call it ‘Stuck Shed’,” Marvin begins to explain, “It’s pretty rare, but it’s happened to him before.”

 

Jack looks to Marvin as the man speaks before looking back to the snake. “What’s Stuck Shed?” 

 

“His shedded skin is stuck to him. It should’ve came off in one go, but it seems that’s not what happened. He needs help getting rid of it,” Marvin explains.

 

Jack and Anti stare at each other through the glass before the man nods. “Okay. What do we need to do?”

 

Marvin listens to Anti for a moment before restating the serpent’s words, and Jack feels a twinge of anxiety pool in his gut. “He needs to be held under a stream of warm water. Once there, just rub your fingers against his skin until it comes loose. Also don’t peel it away. It’ll come free eventually.” Marvin turns his head to look at his owner, and Jack looks back and forth between the two as the worry sets in. 

 

“I.. Okay,” Jack replies, “I’ll do it, but I don’t want to hurt you.” Jack looks back at the feline as the other places a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezes.

 

“You’ll do great,” Marvin states, and Jack’s not sure if he’s repeating Anti’s words or stating them himself. “We’ll talk to you throughout the entire thing. He’s not in pain, but it’s uncomfortable. The sooner we get him out of it, the better.” 

 

Jack makes a sound of worry but nods in agreement before getting to his feet. He opens and reaches into the tank before cautiously reaching in and fetches the snake. Anti immediately curls up around his hands and forearms, and Marvin gets up before leading the two of them into the bathroom. 

The cat turns on the faucet, the stream’s speed equivalent to that of a gentle flow out of a sink tap, and Marvin dips his fingers under the water until he thinks the temperature is adequate. 

 

“I thought you hated water,” Jack asks, and Marvin smiles.

 

“I do, but this is more like dipping my paw into a water dish,” he reassures Jack, “I’ll survive this, I promise.” 

 

Jack rolls his eyes, but smiles regardless. Marvin pulls his fingers from the stream and reaches over to run them across Anti’s head and asks if the temperature is alright for Anti. The serpent must agree because Marvin soon backs away from the tub. 

 

“Okay, you’re up,” Marvin tells Jack, and the other man swallows before looking down at Anti. The serpent looks up at him and flicks his tongue at him after a moment. Jack snorts at the gesture, feeling some of the worry ease away, before walking over to the tub. He gets on his knees, the joints resting against the soft bath mat there, before he moves the snake’s form into the gentle stream. Marvin kneels beside him and watches as Jack gets to work.

 

Jack’s thumbs start rubbing against the stuck skin, and Marvin starts to narrate Anti’s words back to him. He adjusts his hands accordingly, and the anxiety starts to give way when Jack can visibly tell that whatever he’s doing is working. Anti closes his eyes as he squirms a bit, and he tells them that the water feels nice against his scales. Marvin smiles wide, and a small one forms on Jack’s own lips. 

 

Eventually, Anti tells them that he’s almost free, and Jack watches in amazement as the snake suddenly slides forward. Jack reaches one hand forward to help the snake move as his other hand holds back the loose skin. The tail is the last to slip out of it, and soon Jack is holding a snake in one hand as the other contains the shedded skin. It feels a little weird in his hands, but at the same time, it doesn’t. He looks back at the snake, and the serpent has curled around his hand and arm once more. Anti looks tired, head resting on the top of his fingers, and Jack asks if he’s okay. 

 

The serpent flicks its tongue out once, and Marvin laughs. “He’s fine,” Marvin assures him, “He’s just tired from the warm water. It’s like that sleepy feeling you get once you get out of the shower where you’re all nice, clean, and cozy.” 

 

Jack sighs in relief and smiles. He moves his legs so he can sit down properly on the mat, and his legs are now tucked to the side. His knees protest from sitting on them for so long, but Jack ignores it. Marvin reaches over to turn the tub off before mimicking Jack’s new position.

 

After a moment, Anti asks them to close their eyes so he doesn’t blind them once he changes back, and they comply to the request. The air shifts and a flash of light fills the room. Once it’s over, a hand is holding Jack’s own where the serpent use to be resting. When Jack opens his eyes, Anti, back in human form, is sitting cross legged in tub, and he smiles at Jack when they make eye contact. 

 

Jack smiles back, and Marvin is immediately halfway over the tub and pulling the serpent into a hug. Anti huffs at the sudden weight and lets go of Jack’s hand to catch the feline. “Welcome back!” Marvin cheers, and Anti laughs.

 

“I didn’t even go anywhere, Marv,” the serpent replies, but smiles and returns the hug before kissing the side of his head. “... Thanks,” he adds, and Marvin purrs happily before pulling away. Anti ruffles the feline’s hair, and the other bats his hand away when he messes with the fur there. He then asks the man to go fetch him a set of clothes, and Marvin accepts the request before getting to his feet and going towards the bedroom.

 

Jack thanks the feline as he leaves, watching him walk away before turning to the other sitting in the tub, and Anti’s gaze is on him when he turns back. Anti leans forward to embrace the man after a moment, and Jack moves to meet him halfway. 

 

He’s not sure if it’s his imagination, but the skin underneath his hands as they wrap around the other feels smooth. He doesn’t dwell on it too long as the other man holds him tighter, and Jack can feel the tub’s edge pressing against his stomach as Anti buries his nose into Jack’s neck. “I missed you,” he hears Anti whisper.

 

Jack smiles and repeats the serpent’s earlier words, “I didn’t even go anywhere.” 

 

Anti snorts and pulls away. A warm smile is on his face, and Jack returns the gesture. After a moment, Jack cups Anti’s face with his hands and pulls him into a kiss. The lips are soft under his own, and Jack smiles into the kiss at the sensation. 

 

“Hey! Don’t start without me!” Marvin cries out as he enters the bathroom, and the two men can’t help but break apart as laughter takes over. 

 

Jack still has to work that day, but by the time he’s back home, Anti is dressed back into his usual wear. He even cleaned up his own tank, and Jack thanks him for it before he starts dinner. Anti looks like he’s pretty much back to normal, and Jack sighs internally with relief.

 

They’re talking various things throughout the meal when Marvin perks up with a request. “Hey, would we be able to go to the zoo the next time you’re free?”

 

Jack looks up after after taking a bite of food. He blinks at Marvin as he chews and replies to the man after swallowing. “The zoo?”

 

“Yeah!” Marvin confirms, “You mentioned it a while ago when Henrik first visited.” Jack thinks for a moment before he makes a face of recognition. The man hums around another bite of food, and Marvin continues, “I was gonna mention it the other day, but then Anti began to shed.”

 

“Sorry that my body got in the way of your fun time,” Anti adds, and Marvin snorts. 

 

Jack swallows the next bite before answering, “Yeah, I suppose we could. It’s a little cold outside for it, but if you really want to go, I don’t see why we couldn’t.”

  
Marvin cheers in reply, and Jack smiles. Soon, the conversation drifts to other topics, and the suggestion is placed in the back of his mind for another day.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Day at the Zoo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! 
> 
> Warnings: Implied sex - no details.
> 
> Part 1/2 !   
> Enjoy~

Jack wakes up briefly with a start, thinking he slept in past his alarm, but soon sighs and settles back down into the mattress when he realizes that he finally has a day off. He feels Anti readjust beside him before snoring once more, and Jack smiles before closing his eyes to catch up on more sleep. 

 

The lifestyle he’s accustomed himself to comes almost second nature now; it’s to a point where he forgets for a blissful moment that Marvin has the feline senses to detect when Jack is awake. The man that suddenly jumps on him, knee going into thigh, hand landing roughly on his chest, and purring loudly above him makes Jack quickly remember that previously forgotten fact. 

 

Jack’s hands immediately shoot up to stabilize Marvin at the hips as he tries to get air back into his lungs after it left him from the impact, and he looks up to see Marvin’s face nose to nose with his own. The feline has hopeful eyes, a bright smile, and Jack can see out of the corner of his eye that Marvin is holding a flyer for the local zoo. 

  
  


~*~

Episode 14: He May Wear Stripes, but He’s No Prisoner - Part 1

~*~

  
  


“You are such a cat,” Anti mumbles, voice still rough from sleep. Jack turns his head to watch the serpent move Marvin’s knee off of his own thigh, and he realizes that Anti took the other half of the impact from the hopeful feline. The comment makes Marvin smile wider, and Jack can feel the tail swaying lazily against the top of the blanket.

 

Jack huffs and reaches up to scratch Marvin’s ears. The man closes his eyes in response and pushes his head against the fingers. “I did promise you a trip to the zoo, didn’t I?” Marvin opens his eyes again.

 

“Can we still go? Please?” the feline asks him, and Jack smiles. 

 

“Of course we can, but first, I need coffee,” Jack replies. Marvin is instantly off of them, knees and hands digging into the other two men for momentum, and the result causes them to groan in pain. They hear him say from down the hall something about making a pot of the stuff right away, and the other men share a look before chuckling. “Mornin’,” Jack says to Anti, and the other scoffs.

 

“Mornin’,” Anti replies before leaning in to give Jack a brief kiss. The other returns it before breaking away and sitting up to stretch. The man yelps and immediately throws a pillow at the serpent after the other man pinched his ass when he got out of bed. Anti cackles in response, and Jack sticks his tongue out at him before telling him to get dressed. The serpent hums in response, face already snuggling back into his own pillow. Jack rolls his eyes and changes clothes before meeting Marvin in the kitchen.

 

The feline has a cup of coffee waiting for him when he enters, and Jack notes that he’s gotten better at preparing it the way he likes it as he takes a sip. He thanks the feline, and Marvin beams back at him before asking to help him with breakfast. Jack agrees, and when they finally finished preparing the morning meal, he tells Marvin to go wake Anti up again. The man bounds down the hallway, and Jack laughs to himself when he hears Anti shout in pain as Marvin jumps on him again. 

 

They make it to the zoo around eleven o'clock, dressed in their usual winter gear, and the place is pretty vacant due to the colder weather. There’s no snow on the ground right now, and there’s nothing but blue skies that day, but the winter air is still cold against their skin. This doesn’t seem to put a damper on Marvin’s spirits as the man rushes around the park. Anti is more calm about it, but Jack doesn’t miss the glimmer of excitement reflecting in those snake eyes. 

 

The group checks out all of the exhibits that they can, most of them being indoors when certain animal groups can’t handle the cold, but the majority of the creatures are still on display. Anti teases Marvin to not eat the fish when they visit the aquarium, and the feline smacks the snake’s shoulder in response. Anti laughs through his teeth, and Jack smiles at both of them before turning to watch the jellyfish float in their tanks.

 

They get to the reptile exhibit next, and Jack watches with fascination as the usually docile reptiles respond to Anti’s presence. Anti, in turn, seems to start talking with them immediately. They seem excited to talk to someone new as they slither and crawl happily back and forth in their tanks. Jack and Marvin find a bench to sit on and watch with smiles on their faces as Anti visits each one and talks to them through the glass. Eventually, a demonstration of a couple snakes is performed, and the attendant asks if Anti would like to hold them. Before the man even gets a chance to reply, the other serpents slither immediately over his arms and around his neck before resting. The attendant makes a comment about how Anti must be a snake-person, and Jack can’t help but laugh at the irony of the statement as Anti sends him a wink. 

 

Eventually, they end up at the lion and tiger exhibit, and their interaction with Marvin is even more of a spectacle. They see him more like a cub than anything else, and Marvin runs up and down along the side of the glass, and the much larger felines follow him. Their paws thud loudly against the ground before they take a playful stance. Marvin mimics the pose, and by the time Jack’s own feline is done playing, a small crowd of guests have gathered to watch the strange event. 

 

They stop at the small food court for a lunch break, a simple meal of juice and sandwiches, before they make their way to the remaining exhibits. One of the last places they visit is the lemur exhibit. A couple of attendants each are holding a lemur in their hands while they talk to another small group of visitors when Jack and his group make it there. Jack is listening intently to the speech when Anti notices Marvin walk towards the cage holding the other lemurs. The feline is staring at one in particular, and when Anti moves his gaze, he notices it looking back at Marvin. 

 

Jack is able to feed the lemur in the assistant's hand, so he doesn’t notice Anti joining Marvin by the cage. The men stay there until the presentation is over, and both Anti and Marvin jump with a start when Jack calls out to them. Their attentions snap over to Jack, a blank look in their eyes, before Anti blinks and smiles. The serpent turns to Marvin and whispers something to the feline that Jack can’t hear before he turns back and makes his way over to his owner. Jack asks him what’s going on, and Anti shrugs. “We’re just talking to them. Marvin is finishing up the conversation, but he’ll catch up with us.”

 

Jack’s face scrunches in confusion as Anti places his hand at his lower back and guides the man away from the exhibit. His owner begins to protest about leaving Marvin, but Anti just kisses him on his forehead and tells him, again, that the feline will be with them shortly. They end up waiting for Marvin back at the food court, and sure enough, about five minutes later, Marvin joins up with them. Jack asks if everything is alright, and Marvin nods his head in agreement. “They’re just lonely and wanted someone to talk to. Everything’s gonna be fine, though,” Marvin tells Jack with a smile. Jack stares back at him a moment, thinking that the feline isn’t telling him everything, but eventually he shrugs and lets it go before redirecting the group through the remaining exhibits. 

 

The rest of the trip is uneventful, and the trio make it back home in time for dinner. Marvin and Anti retell the tale the events of today, telling Jack what they enjoyed and what their favorite exhibit was, and the man listens to every detail as he smiles between bites of his food.

 

That evening, Jack gets a notification that he’s being called into work the next day due to a coworker being sick, and he groans in annoyance but agrees to the shift change. Jack gets up off the couch after ending the conversation with his manager and tells the men that he’s going to go take a shower. Anti asks if he could play some games on the man’s phone while he bathes, and Jack accepts the request. He hands the device to the serpent before making his way to the bathroom. Anti plays a simple puzzle game on the phone until he can hear the shower turn on. He looks up towards the hallway before turning to meet his gaze with Marvin. Marvin smiles and nods after a moment before getting to his feet.

 

Anti switches over to the text messaging feature. The feline makes his way down the hall and into the bathroom as the serpent starts to send a message to Henrik. The occasional sound of a text notification rings through the apartment as he continues to write back and forth with the doctor. Anti smiles as a distinct moan comes through the bathroom door as he sends one last text. The serpent then gets to his feet and pulls off his shirt. One last ‘ding’ comes from the device, confirming Anti’s wishes, and the serpent smiles. He makes sure to delete all of the messages before letting the device rest on the coffee table and saunters down to the bathroom where the prominent moans grow louder. 

 

The next day, Jack gets ready for work and makes sure they all have some form of breakfast. He kisses each man on the forehead and tells them to behave while he’s gone. They hum in reply, and Jack leaves out the front door to start his day. They make sure they can no longer hear his car before they both get up and get dressed back in their winter outfits. Jackie is at their door an hour later, and both Marvin and Anti follow him back to the doctor’s car where both Henrik and Chase are waiting for them. They all greet each other a ‘good morning’ before Henrik pulls out of the driveway and takes them back to the zoo. 

 

“You’re all sure about this?” Henrik asks the group as he drives down the road, “Once we start, there’s no going back. It’ll either go really well or Jack has to bail us all out of jail.”

 

“What’s wrong? You seemed pretty excited about this last night,” replies Anti.

 

The doctor smiles. “I still am. Just, if it fails, then I’m making sure I’m taking all of you down with me.”

 

“I’m excited!” Jackie proclaims, “Let’s do this!”

 

“This is such a bad idea,” Chase mumbles from the back seat, and Marvin is laughing to himself throughout the entire exchange. 

Henrik first stops the vehicle in the visitor parking and hands both Marvin and Anti enough cash to pay admission for the zoo. As this is done, Jackie turns back into his animal form and flies out of the car once Anti and Marvin leave the vehicle. Once gone, Henrik pulls the car around to the service entrance. 

 

The doctor shows the guard at the gate that both him and his assistant, Chase, are the veterinarians that were called here to perform a check up on one of the animals. Henrik shows the officer the necessary paperwork proving his statement as Chase recalls watching the man make a variety of phone calls and emails the previous night to guarantee their success in entering the facility. The hound sighs internally with relief as the papers are approved and they’re let inside. He looks up once he steps out of the car to see a red cardinal in a high above tree top and gives it a subtle nod. The bird flies away once it sees the gesture, and Chase turns to follow Henrik inside a nearby building. 

 

They’re greeted by two more attendants at a welcome desk, and after Henrik restates their purpose of being there, they’re led to another exit that leads outside into the zoo. Soon, they reach the cage, and one of the assistants go inside to retrieve the animal that they’re here to see. While the assistants are busy, Henrik and Chase look up to see a variety of other visitors watching the display. Among them are Anti and Marvin, and the serpent winks once the doctor nods to them. 

 

Once Henrik and Chase are both out of sight, Anti and Marvin smile at each other before walking towards the restrooms. They make sure they’re alone before Marvin goes into a stall. A white flash illuminates the small room a minute later, and Anti opens the door to reveal a white cat with brown forehead markings sitting in a messy pile of winter gear. Marvin moves so Anti can pack the clothes away in the backpack he brought with him. There’s still enough room for Marvin to climb into and hide in, so once Anti is done and makes sure the bag has a big enough opening for the cat to breathe, he leaves the restroom and starts to walk to a more secluded spot of the lemur exhibit. 

 

The serpent makes sure they’re alone before he sets the backpack onto the ground and reopens the zipper. Bright blue mischievous eyes stare back at him, and Anti smiles before giving the go ahead to leave. Marvin hops out of the bag and makes his way through the shrubbery before sneaking out of sight. 

 

Anti stands, throws the backpack onto his shoulders, and makes his way to the reptile exhibit. He approaches a couple of the tanks, and the others immediately recognise him. They slither up, and Anti smiles a greeting before he begins to talk to them. He explains the situation and asks for their help, and they happily agree to lend their assistance. Anti goes over and sits on the bench, and soon enough, a couple of zoo keepers enter the facility to start caring for the reptiles. Anti watches as some snakes turn their heads towards the serpent, and he smiles and nods back at them. As soon as their cage is open, they coil and launch out, and the keepers shout in shock. The few amount of guests in the exhibit begin to scream when they realize the snakes are loose, and soon there’s chaos. Anti stands and takes advantage of the confusion by pickpocketing the keys off of one of the keepers before sneaking around and opening the remaining cages that he can access. Soon, more reptiles escape, and he tosses the keys into a nearby trashcan before exiting the room with the evacuating guests.

 

Marvin hears the cries of terror in the distance and knows that it’s his turn. He’s already talked to some of the lemurs, asking for their assistance, and they also agree to help him. The feline sneaks into the cage and climbs up some of the branches placed in the exhibit. A couple of guests shout and point at the cat, and a couple of keepers nearby turn and stare at the white feline in disbelief before they work on opening the cage to try and get it out of the exhibit. However, as soon as the cage door opens, the lemurs leap onto the keepers and escape through the door. Marvin escapes through the gaps in the cage once he’s satisfied and disappears back into the brush.

 

Back in the examination room, Henrik is performing a routine check up on the lemur in front of him, and Chase is by his side. The attendant standing with them gets a call on the radio that along with the reptiles and lemurs escaping, the exotic birds have flown free, too. The keeper flees to go help the others, and the other two men wait a long moment before looking at each other. Henrik looks up and smiles when he realizes that the security camera has been turned off, and Chase reaches for the spare clothes hidden in the medical bag that they’d brought with them. 

 

From the hallway, a white flash appears between the crack of the examination door, and soon after, the door opens. Chase, now dressed in jeans, a sweater, and his signature grey cap, makes sure the hallway is clear before he leaves the building and into the exhibit. 

 

Anti is waiting by the bathrooms when he sees Marvin dashing towards him. He sees two keepers hot on his heels, so Anti rounds the corridor leading to the bathrooms and takes off his long winter coat. The attendants watch the cat dash into the corridor, neither paying much attention to a muted flash of light, and both round it soon after to keep the chase. They also pay no attention to the two men, appearing to have an intimate moment, as they run by and exit through the other opening of the corridor before running out of sight. Anti stays there for a moment, keeping the other man close to him while covering the white ears with his hands as Marvin keeps the coat wrapped around his naked form. Once he’s sure they’re alone, Anti pulls back and they both share a shit-eating grin. 

 

When Marvin finishes changing in the bathroom, they go to meet up with Chase who’s standing by the food court. The hound greets them with a smile and a wave before the three of them evacuate with the rest of the guests. 

 

Henrik has just finished packing away his things when two security officers burst in and tell him that both the doctor and his assistant have to leave while the zoo focuses on getting the animals back into their cages. Both men nod in understanding and follow the officers as they lead them back to his vehicle. Henrik soon pulls the vehicle near the main entrance where they meet Anti, Marvin, and Chase. As they climb into the vehicle, Jackie flies back into the car and sits on Henrik’s shoulder. The door closes behind them and Henrik drives back to his home.

 

Chase is sitting in the passenger seat, and he looks at Henrik with a face of disbelief before he turns further to look back at the man dressed in his old medical assistant outfit. He’s sitting between a laughing Marvin and an smirking Anti. The man has purple hair where Marvin and Anti’s are various shades of green. 

 

When Jack gets home that evening, Anti and Marvin are there to greet him with a hug and a smile. He returns the gesture, asking if they had a good day, and they both say yes. They ask about Jack’s day at work when they eat dinner, and the owner claims that it was, thankfully, relatively uneventful. Both half breeds offer to wash the dishes while Jack changes out of his work uniform.

 

He walks back into the kitchen after he’s done and sees that they’re still finishing up at the sink. Leaving them be, Jack turns back into the living room and turns on the television. 

 

The news pops on immediately, and Marvin’s ears twitch at the sound of a breaking story. Jack turns up the volume and watches as the program talks about the chaotic scene at the zoo. Anti smiles when Jack pauses the DVR to rewind the last few seconds of amateur video before hitting play once more. The video is repeated on the screen, and Jack pauses it midway through. 

 

At this point, Marvin and Anti have come up and stood on either side of Jack, and their owner is looking at the blurry but unmistakably familiar figures wearing equally familiar winter clothing displayed on the screen. A moment passes before Anti speaks.

 

“Forgot about the cellphones.” 

 

Jack’s head snaps towards Anti’s direction.

 

“We couldn’t cover everything,” Marvin adds, “That’d be impossible.”

 

Jack nearly gets whiplash from looking back and forth at them when they speak. 

 

“ _ YOU’RE NOT EVEN GOING TO DENY IT?!” _

 

Anti just shrugs while Marvin begins to laugh. Jack looks back to the video and notices that there’s another figure with them. “How did you even-- who’s with you?! How’d you even get into the zoo?!”

 

“That’s probably Chase,” Anti replies nonchalauntly, “and Henrik got all of us in there.”

 

Marvin reaches over and hits play, wanting to see the rest of the video, and Jack watches with disbelief as the story continues to uncover itself. The anchors report that most of the animals have been contained and are being returned to their cages. 

 

The only animal not accounted for is one Ring Tailed Lemur. 

 

Marvin is full blown laughing now, and Anti can’t hide his smirk. Jack’s face fills with dread as his memory of Marvin talking to a lemur yesterday comes back to the forefront of his mind. “What did you  _ do?!” _

 

“We have a new family member!” Marvin proclaims happily, and Anti laughs as Jack grabs one of the pillows decorating the couch and screams into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Should you so choose, please leave a comment below and tell me what you think! Thanks! :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack isn't amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Welcome back! 
> 
> Part 2/2 
> 
> *Minor make out scene for people who want to know. The rest is plot
> 
> Enjoy~ :D

The next morning, Chase and Henrik are enjoying some coffee in the conservatory. They’re chatting quietly to themselves, discussing the new arrangements of the house now that they have yet another person living in their home, and the sun is just starting to rise over the horizon. The sun’s rays paint over the quiet--

 

**“** **_SCHNEEPLESTEIN!!”_ **

 

…  _ not _ so quiet home as Jack’s voice booms loudly around the property. 

  
  


~*~

Episode 15: He May Wear Stripes, but He’s No Prisoner - Part 2

~*~

  
  


Henrik is greeted by the sight of a very livid Jack when he opens the front door. Marvin and Anti are standing on either side of Jack, and even though they looked like they’ve been literally dragged out of bed, they actually have the decency to look slightly ashamed at being caught. 

 

The doctor takes in the scene a moment before smiling innocently, and if looks could kill, he’s pretty sure Jack’s glare would’ve slaughtered him right then and there. 

 

Henrik isn’t phased by it in the slightest. “Jack, what a pleasant surprise,” he greets him.

 

Jack’s eye twitches. “We need to talk.  _ Now. _ ”

 

“Of course,” Henrik replies calmly and steps aside, “Please, come in.”

 

Both Jack and Henrik end up sitting across from each other back in the conservatory, and Chase places a platter of small breakfast snacks and some coffee on the small table before leading Anti and Marvin out of the room. The hound slides the entry door shut behind him, and the two men are left alone in the room. Jack sits, arms and legs crossed, and doesn’t touch the spread of food before him. Henrik sips on a cup of coffee as the silence and tension in the room grows thick.

 

Jack eventually speaks, and his voice is quiet, low, and as sharp as a honed razor’s edge. “What the  _ hell _ were you even thinking? Did you seriously agree with the kidnapping? I know Anti and Marvin don’t know much of the human world yet, but you’ve been in it long enough to know that what you’ve done is  _ not _ okay.”

“I’m aware of what we did, and I assure you that our method was the calmest way we could’ve pulled off the heist,” Henrik replies, setting his cup on the table. 

 

Jack scoffs, and his voice rises slightly in volume. “‘ _ Calmest’? _ Henrik, the zoo was thrown into chaos. Multiple animals escaped.”

 

“All animals, except our own, were retrieved and placed back into their cages,” Henrik explains, “I see no reason as to why that would no longer be a problem.”

 

“People could’ve been hurt, Henrik,” replies Jack. 

 

The glare staring the doctor down has never wavered, and Henrik is beginning to send one back to Jack. “If you watched the rest of the report, no one was actually injured. We didn’t set them free without explaining the situation to them and laying down some ground rules. Everything may have seemed chaotic, but we had it under control. We were successful--”

 

“ _ I don’t care how well it went!”  _ Jack screams at him, and Henrik jumps at the sudden increase in volume of his voice. “ _ I care about how you all could’ve been captured and killed!” _

 

Henrik stares at Jack, wide eyed. “...I don’t understand-”

 

“Of course you don’t,” Jack spats back, “Dammit, Henrik, did you even think about this for one second?!” Jack gets to his feet and begins to pace back and forth in the small room. “Do you even realize what would’ve happened to you if you guys got caught?! What, did you think you’d just go to prison? They’d discover that you were half breeds! You could’ve been killed, or worse. What if you became a science experiment, tested on endlessly? They might even make you the next exhibit in the zoo, and -- fucking  _ dammit _ , what the fuck were you guys thinking?!” Jack turns back to him, fists shaking by his sides, and continues, “I wouldn’t be able to save you! I have absolutely no power to rescue you if something happens to any of you guys. Fuck, if anything, they’d probably track me down and capture me, too, since we all look alike!” 

 

Jack finally stops yelling, and only the sound of heavy breathing from screaming so much fills travels throughout the small space. After a moment, Henrik’s shocked face turns calm once more, and he gets to his feet. The other man watches as the doctor approaches him calmly before he stops inches from Jack. Henrik can now see the sadness and terror behind Jack’s angry blue orbs, and he reaches up to wipe away some of the wetness formed in the corner of the man’s eyes. Jack makes a broken sound at the touch, and his voice is a harsh whisper when he speaks again. “I don’t want to lose  _ any _ of you. We’ve been through this. For fuck’s sake, stop being so reckless.”

 

Jack makes another noise of surprise as Henrik suddenly pulls him into a hug. He only hesitates for a moment before his arms shoot up and around to return the embrace. Arms hold Henrik tightly as Jack begins to sob into his shoulder, and Henrik kisses the side of his head as he apologizes. “I’m sorry, Jack. It was a delicate situation, and we didn’t have a lot of time to act. We had an opportunity, so we took it.” The man’s tears begin to subside, but the human’s grip is unrelenting, so Henrik begins to rub Jack’s back with one hand as he pets his hair with the other. “Please, come sit with me. I’ll explain our actions.” 

 

It takes another moment for Jack to compose himself, but eventually he nods in acceptance against Henrik’s shoulder, and the doctor guides him over back to the sofa before sitting beside him. They sit there a moment in silence before they start talking. 

 

“... Who is he?” Jack asks quietly as he looks down at his own hands resting in his lap.

 

“His name is Robbie,” the doctor replies, and he rests one hand on the other’s back. Jack sighs as the contact grounds him. “He’s a half breed. His animal counterpart, as you might have guessed by now, is a Ring Tailed Lemur.” Jack sits in silence, looking towards the plate of uneaten food but not focusing on it, and Henrik takes the que to continue. “He was in trouble and needed our help.”

 

“Why didn’t you guys tell me?” asks Jack.

 

“Why not tell you that we were planning on breaking an exotic animal out of a zoo?” Henrik clarifies, “Because we’d know you’d react the exact way you were, now.”

 

Jack looks up at him then. “If you’d just have explained it--”

 

“We didn’t have that kind of time,” Henrik interrupts him, and Jack stares at him for a long moment.

 

“... what do you mean?” he asks the doctor, and Henrik looks away for a moment. Jack cups his chin and brings his gaze back to meet his. “Tell me.”

 

Henrik sighs. “Despite his lemur appearance, he’s a slow moving man. There’s nothing wrong with him, mentally or physically, it’s just his preferred state of being. He’s quiet, too, but isn’t mute or anything. He doesn’t talk much.” Henrik pauses as he considers his next words. “However, he was slow in his movements as a lemur, and for that he was misdiagnosed with a disease. They did a lot of tests on him, trying to determine what was wrong, but everything came back negative.”

 

Jack lets go of Henrik’s face and turns back to face towards the table as the doctor continues his explanation. 

 

“They left him alone after that, but one day he ended up getting in a fight with another lemur. The zoo assumed that he started it, and since he couldn’t defend himself, they determined it was enough to assume that the unknown disease was the cause.”

Jack had a pretty good idea now where Henrik was going with the story, but the doctor concluded it anyway. 

 

“They were going to euthanize him.” Jack clenched his fist against his thighs, and Henrik waited a moment before speaking again. “I was able to make some phone calls in able to convince them to perform one last check-up before the procedure was done.” Jack looked up at him when he fell silent. Henrik’s eyes bored into his own. “He was suppose to die yesterday, but I refused to allow that to happen.”

 

“How do you know all of this?” whispers Jack, and the hand on his back begins to rub it soothingly. The atmosphere loses some of its tension.

 

“Robbie told Marvin all of this the other day, and both Marvin and Anti agreed to break him out.” Jack frowns when he learns the real reason for Anti borrowing his phone the other night. “We planned out a rescue mission that evening, and the rest is history.” 

 

Henrik watches as Jack wrings his hands together, a sign of nervousness, and the doctor places his free hand over Jack’s own. The other man looks back up at him in response to the gesture. “We didn’t have the time to prepare you for any of this. We knew you would panic, and I needed everyone’s focus to be on the mission without worrying about you. It wasn’t until everything had settled down when we decided to tell you about it, to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, but it seems that the news station got to you first.”

 

Jack grimaces, removing Henrik’s hand from his own, and stands. Henrik doesn’t follow him as he heads to the exit leading to the courtyard, but he does notice Jack stop mid stride to look up to the glass roof. When Henrik moves his gaze to where Jack’s looking, his face goes from pity to pure comedic shock. Up on the roof, propped upside down on the glass framework, is none other than Robbie. The man is staring down at Jack through the glass, and Jack’s gaze never wavers.

 

After a moment, Robbie begins to move. He rearranges himself upright before moving down the glass, and soon his bare feet meet the concrete surface of the outside porch. The maneuver has Robbie standing outside the glass door that Jack was previously heading towards.

 

Henrik looks back up towards the second story to see Jackie hanging half out the window. He glares at the man because he was suppose to be keeping Robbie upstairs until Jack calmed down, and cardinal shrinks back into the room apologetically. Anti, Marvin, and Chase are in another bedroom and are looking down at them through its windows. Henrik huffs quietly to himself in annoyance before turning his attention back to Jack and Robbie.

 

The man on the other side of the door is wearing a tan V-neck sweater and brown sweatpants. A mop of dark purple hair with two white lemur ears adorns his head, and a long, striped tail hangs from the base of his spine to the location of his ankles. His face gives Jack the impression that the man hasn’t slept well the past few days; baggy eyes and a neutral frown grace Robbie’s features finish off his appearance. 

 

Jack clenches his fists briefly and swallows. “Hey there,” Jack greets him, but the other simply blinks before tilting his head to the side. He coughs before continuing, “Do you want to come in and have some breakfast?” 

 

After a moment, Robbie nods his head slowly. Jack reaches for the door but stops mid way as the other man flinches back at the movement. Taking a deep breath, Jack moves forward again, more slowly, and grabs the handle. He pulls the door and holds it open for the man while standing as far out of the way as possible. The other man stares for another moment before he cautiously moves forward.

 

Robbie’s gaze never leaves him as he makes his way into the conservatory, and Jack doesn’t miss the motion of Robbie staying away from him as far as possible when he enters. They don’t break each others gaze until Robbie finally has to turn around so he can navigate the table without falling onto it. It’s then Jack moves his eyes to Henrik, who has watched the entire thing with a slightly confused expression, and the doctor turns back to look at Jack. After a moment, Jack sighs and turns to walk outside. 

 

Henrik starts to follow him, pauses, and turns to look up at Jackie. He gestures at the man, telling him to get his ass down there and  _ watch Robbie. _ Jackie immediately scrambles out the window and floats to the ground via his wings before entering the room. Henrik grabs both a spare winter coat along with putting on his own before he follows Jack into the courtyard. 

 

He finds Jack standing in the familiar clove of trees, back facing the doctor, and Henrik stops a few feet away from him once he gets close. “Jack,” the doctor calls out to him. Jack’s shoulders flinch at the voice, and he looks over his shoulder back at the newcomer. “He’ll come around,” Henrik assures him, but the other man frowns. 

 

“I’m not so certain,” Jack replies before turning back to face the trees.

 

Henrik walks up to Jack the rest of the way so that their conversation can be muted to sensitive ears. “Why do you think that?”

 

“You’re not blind,” Jack whispers, “You saw how he was around me.”

 

“He’s only seen you once before, when you went to the zoo, so he hardly knows you,” Henrik explains, “Give him some time.”

 

Jacks fists clench at his sides. “Humans had him on the chopping block yesterday, Henrik. They were going to put him down after he had no choice but to rely on them for food and habitat. Robbie was going to be killed through no real fault of his own. I’m a human, Henrik, and he knows this. He has every right to be scared of me.” He takes a deep breath. “As far as he knows, I’m just another threat.”

 

Henrik waits a moment before replying, “We all thought that once, Jack.” Regardless of his comforting words, Jack remains silent. The doctor takes the spare coat and unfurls it before stepping forwards and draping the garment over Jack’s shoulders. The man’s body twitches at the contact but doesn’t shrug it off. 

 

“Was that conversation the other night about not keeping secrets just a load of bullshit to you?” Jack whispers harshly. 

 

Henrik frowns. “Of course not, Jack. As I stated before, this was a matter of life and death. We knew that you’d want to make sure we covered all of our bases before we went in, but Robbie didn’t have that kind of time.”

 

“You kidnapped an animal from the zoo, Henrik! This isn’t like adopting a stray off the street!” Jack finally turns around to face him. “People are going to be looking for him!” 

 

“They won’t find him, Jack,” Henrik replies.

 

Jack scoffs. “Anti, Chase, and Marvin were all on the news. Even with their faces being blurred do to the shitty video quality, I could still recognise them. Who knows how many videos were taken that day, let alone how many security cameras were in that facility!” 

 

“Jack,” the doctor whispers, but the other man is on a ranting spree.

 

“You checked in as a doctor! They have your name in their files, and you were also the last one to see Robbie!” He’s talking animatedly now with his hands gesturing wildly as he speaks. 

 

“Jack.”

 

“They’re going to track you all down, and they’ll kill you, and I  _ can’t go through that- _ ”

 

Hands are suddenly grabbing Jack’s face forcefully, causing the man to stop and stay still, and the contact grounds the start of his panic attack instantly. Jack blinks through the tears forming in his eyes to see grey-blue ones staring back at him. They’re nose to nose, and Jack’s not really sure when the man got so close. Henrik does the courtesy of waiting for Jack’s breathing to calm back down before speaking to the man. “There’s no video footage. There’s no paperwork. They won’t find us.”

 

It takes a moment to process the words, and Jack’s eyes widen with each passing second. You could hear a pin drop - even in the outside world. Jack searches the man’s face, looking for any other clue behind what the doctor meant, but he finds nothing but a serious gaze boring into his own. “Henrik,” Jack begins, his voice shaking, “what did you do?”

 

Henrik says nothing for a moment, eyes searching Jack’s own, before replying, “I saved Robbie.”

 

Jack swallows, and his eyes dance as he feels dread pool in his gut. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

 

A small smile forms on the doctor’s lips, but it’s warmth doesn’t meet Henrik’s eyes. “It’s the only answer you’re going to get, for now.”

 

Jack’s internally proud of himself when he manages to glare back at Henrik through the worry forming in his mind. “We said no more secrets.”

 

Henrik huffs at the response. “I never said I wouldn’t tell you. Also, we agreed that we wouldn’t lie to you, but if we weren’t comfortable with telling you right away, then we’d leave each other be until we felt like talking.” He pauses before adding an afterthought. “Have I not told you the complete truth? No. However, I’ve never lied to you, either. I have not broken our agreement.” Jack is still staring at him with worry, but he can tell that the man has accepted that part of the explanation. He uses one hand to brush some bangs out of Jack’s face while the other moves to rest on his shoulder. “They will not find us,” Henrik reiterates, “That I can assure you of.”

 

The doctor watches as blue eyes search his own face once more, and Jack redirects his inquiries. “... Who  _ are _ you, Henrik?” 

 

The smile the doctor gives him sends a harsh shiver down his spine. 

 

Jack barely has a moment to react before Henrik pulls him into a firm kiss, and he can’t help but make a noise in reply. Hands reach up to grip Henrik’s coat as the man maneuvers Jack backwards, and soon Jack’s back is pressed up against the tree. They make out there for a moment, Henrik tilting his head to deepen the kiss, and Jack moans before gathering enough strength to break it. 

 

“S-stop distracting me and answer the question,” Jack spats through his panting breaths. 

 

Henrik presses his face against Jack’s neck, hands falling to the other’s hips, and the doctor smiles at the resulting moan when he presses a leg between Jack’s. “I’m half dove,” he replies.

 

Jack’s about to curse him a new one before he kisses him quiet. 

 

“I’m a veterinarian,” he continues once the kiss breaks, and their breaths are visible in the cold air. Jack stares back at him with half aroused eyes. “I’m a improvised caretaker of the other half breeds, I’m your doctor, I’m your ally, I’m your lover,” he pauses to give Jack another long kiss, “and I’m your friend.”

 

Jack is about to reply when Henrik cuts him off once more.

 

“I know what you’re asking. I’m not comfortable giving you that information, yet, but I will one day. Right now, I’d like you to let it go and focus on Robbie.”

 

Jack stares at him for a long moment, and Henrik almost thinks that he’ll have to defend himself some more, but soon Jack just sighs and lets his head fall back against the tree. The man scoffs before regaining eye contact with the doctor. “Kinda hard to do that with you humping my leg there, Henrik.” He smiles when the doctor laughs, the first genuine sound Jack’s heard from the man since the start of the conversation, and the doctor pecks his lips with his own before he rocks his hips into him once out of spite. 

 

Henrik swallows Jack’s resulting moan before removing his leg and backing off of Jack. “Apologies, love,” Henrik replies, “You’re just too addicting.” Jack puts his arms through the sleeves of the jacket that’s draped over his shoulders, pulling it on the rest of the way before fastening the front together, and runs his hands over the material to smooth it out before looking back up at Henrik. The man is smiling back at him, and he gestures to Jack that they should make their way back to the conservatory. 

 

Jack stares in the direction of the building with sad eyes. “Where do I even begin, Henrik? The man is scared of me.”

 

The doctor thinks a moment before replying. “That may be the case right now, but what is certain is that he will always be scared of you if you never try to show him who you really are.” Jack looks at him with curious eyes, and Henrik reaches out a hand to him. “Everything will work out, Jack. We wouldn’t have brought him here otherwise.”

 

Jack sighs, placing his hand in Henrik’s, and the other’s fingers close around it. He allows the man to lead him back to the conservatory, but Jack stops short of the concrete steps leading up to the landing. Henrik stops to look back at him, giving the man’s hand a comforting squease, and Jack looks back at him before giving him a small smile. He looks back at the glass room before continuing up the steps.

 

The men inside are enjoying the breakfast before them. Marvin is talking animatedly with Jackie while Anti and Chase sip on some coffee. Robbie watches the scene while munching on some toast. The room falls silent when they hear the outside door open and turn to see Henrik holding the glass door open for Jack. 

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Jack steps through the door and into the room. Jackie stands wordlessly to give up his seat by Robbie, and Jack smiles at him as a ‘thank you’ before slowly sitting down by the purple-haired man.

 

Robbie never takes his eyes off Jack, but he also doesn’t move away when he sits down, so Jack counts it as a small victory. “Hello, again,” Jack greets him, and after a moment, Robbie bows his head slightly as a returned greeting. “I’ve been told what had happened to you these last few days, and I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that.”

 

Marvin has moved to settle down by Anti’s feet, and Jackie has moved over to stand by Henrik and the now-closed door. Chase is sitting in the chair at the head of the coffee table. Jack pays them no mind, choosing instead to focus on the man beside him. 

 

“You have every right to be wary about humans, including myself,” Jack continues, “Because of what’s happened, I know that there isn’t anything I can say to make you believe that I’m not like the others.” Robbie blinks at him, and Jack takes a breath. “However, I don’t want to leave everyone, either, so I’m letting you know now that I’m not going anywhere. Thus, I want to propose something.”

 

The room remains silent as Jack speaks with Robbie.

 

“Watch me,” Jack states, and Robbie’s eyes widen slightly. “Watch me, observe me, and make your own conclusions about me as I interact with you and the others. You’re no longer in that zoo. You’re free to make your own choices and conclusions. Start fresh, and make your own future. If you find that you can’t trust me, then I’ll understand. Until then, give me a chance to prove myself.” It’s then that Jack reaches out his hand towards Robbie, and the other looks down at it with wide eyes before looking back at Jack. 

 

Eyes search each other’s for a long time, relying on changes in expressions to convey what words won’t explain. 

 

Robbie takes Jack’s hand, and Jack smiles before they shake their hands and complete the deal. The tension in the room instantly breaks, and everyone smiles. “My name is Jack,” he introduces himself.

 

The other bows his head again. “...Robbie,” he replies, voice low and quiet, but Jack hears it and smiles even wider. They let go of each other, and Marvin cheers.

 

“Yay! Everyone’s made up!” Marvin proclaims, and Jack shoots both Marvin and Anti a glare.

“You two are not off the hook, yet. Don’t get too excited,” Jack says as he glares at them, but there’s no heat to it. Anti and Marvin pout, anyway. They pour Jack a fresh cup of coffee, and he takes it with a ‘thanks’. Before long, the room is back to a busy chatter. Jack and Robbie split and orange as a sign of peace while Chase and Anti chat amongst themselves. Marvin is munching on pieces of cheese and fruit while Henrik and Jackie watch the scene before them. 

 

Henrik smiles, glad things are back in order, and turns to Jackie to start talking with him.

 

The scowl he sees from the Cardinal stops him in his tracks. Henrik searches his eyes, wondering what has warranted the sudden expression to be directed at him, when the fluttering of some birds just outside the window catches his eye. They’re right next to Jackie, only a pane of glass separating them, and they’re staring at him, too.

 

Jackie’s eyes narrow, and Henrik mimics the gesture. The doctor is about to comment on Jackie’s attitude when Marvin calls them both over to come join the rest of the group. Jackie’s serious demeanor is instantly gone, and the man bounds over to them. Henrik smiles outwardly while he lets a million thoughts run through his mind. 

 

He was spied on by those snowbirds, and now Jackie knows. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading!  
> I gotta work on some more chapters, so updates will be delayed a bit again (Hopefully not a 2+ week wait this time XD)
> 
> Leave a comment if you want! Thanks for stopping by!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! YES! I'M NOT DEAD! And neither is this fic! 
> 
> I am so sorry for the delay! My muse just died right at the end of this part of the series, and I didn't want to half ass the chapters. 
> 
> ... The remaining chapters are still kind of half-assed, and I apologize for that, but I've finally finished it and will be updating the fic here over the next couple of days. 
> 
> Also, I'll be updating the tags soon, so those will be changing shortly. If you've been reading the fic, then it won't be anything you already know. 
> 
> I've only beta-ed the chapters once, so sorry if there are any mistakes! 
> 
> Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and kudos!   
> Enjoy the rest of the story~

The next morning, Jack stirs awake to a quiet home. The winter sun hasn’t quite reached the horizon, and Jack assumes that the other tenants residing in the home are still asleep. Along with himself, Anti and Marvin ended up staying the night at Henrik’s manor, and Jack notes with amusement that it’s becoming a common event. 

 

Jack rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks down at the green hair and white ears tucked underneath his chin before smiling. Anti is passed out next to him, laying on his stomach, arms supporting his head beneath the pillow, and is softly snoring. Stretching, Jack carefully maneuvers a sleeping Marvin into Anti’s side, and the feline immediately curls up against the serpent before Jack stirs Anti awake enough to inform him that he’s going home to get them a change of clothes. He makes sure that the serpent gives him some form of acknowledgement and smiles before giving him a kiss. Anti responds in kind for about two seconds the vibration of a snore tingles Jack’s lips. Jack snorts and breaks the kiss, letting the man sleep, and he pets Marvin’s ears before moving to change back into the clothes he wore the day prior. 

 

Jack leaves the bedroom, heads downstairs, and is surprised when he sees a light shining through the crack of the open office door. He walks over and sees that the source of the light is coming from a small lamp on the desk. It illuminates a tired-looking Schneeplestein sitting with his elbows propped up on his desk, hands clasped, and chin resting on top of them. He’s looking in the direction of the paperwork scattered across his desk, but Jack can tell that the doctor’s focus isn’t on it. 

 

Jack knocks the door softly, announcing his presence, and Henrik jumps at the sound. The doctor’s eyes go wide for a split second before turning warm.  “Jack, good morning. Please, come in,” Henrik greets the man standing at his door. 

 

“Good morning,” Jack replies with a smile before pushing the door open more and stepping inside. “I’m going to head out and get some clothes for Marv, Anti, and I, so I’ll be back soon.”

 

Henrik smiles at him, but the look in his eyes don’t quite match. “Of course,” the doctor replies, “Drive safe.” 

 

It’s obvious to Jack that whatever is on Henrik’s mind is still taking part of his focus, so after a brief hesitation, he walks over and around his desk. Henrik raises an eyebrow and moves his chair back to give the other man room as Jack leans down to give him a soft kiss. They stay like that for a moment, Jack cupping the other man’s face, until he can feel the tension in the doctor’s face and neck slip away. Breaking only the contact of the kiss, Jack stares into Henrik’s eyes. 

 

They now match his smile. 

 

“What was that for?” Henrik asks, but there’s no trace of annoyance of any kind. 

 

“A lot of things,” is Jack’s reply. After a moment, he adds, “Don’t let your thoughts get to you, Henrik. I trust you.”

 

The doctor’s smile falters for a moment, eyes searching Jack’s face for a lie, but the smile is back when he doesn’t find one. “Thank you, Jack.”

 

“Of course,” Jack replies and gives him one more brief kiss before pulling away. “I’ll be back in a bit.” Henrik waves a goodbye as Jack heads out of the office and opening the front door of the home. 

 

He’s walking down the steps, mind and focus busy running a mental checklist of all that he needs to gather and bring back from his house, and rounds the front of his car before nearly tripping over a large lump that’s at his feet. After regaining his balance, he looks down and sees an unconscious brown and black curly haired dog. It’s wounded. Badly. Jack suddenly realizes, with a gasp, that it’s been  _ shot _ . 

 

“Oh.. oh fuck, oh  _ shit _ , Henrik!” Jack shouts out for the doctor while leaning down to scoop the large hound into his arms. It whines, the sound both breaking and relieving Jack’s heart. It’s in pain, but it’s alive. It still has a chance to be saved. “HENRIK!” Jack shouts again, making his way as fast as he can back towards the steps leading up to the mansion. 

 

The doctor is making a fresh pot of coffee when he hears Jack shout his name for the second time in two days, but he quickly notes that it’s one of panic and not anger. Henrik rushes out of the kitchen, letting the coffee brew on its own, and sees Chase halfway down the stairwell when he comes into the entryway. They share a brief look before bursting through the front door. 

 

Jack is halfway up the steps, struggling with his footing while carrying the dog, and Chase hesitates only a moment to take in the scene before rushing to Jack’s aid. When they get a better grip on the hound, they look up to see Henrik’s face is reflecting a combination of shock and recognition. 

 

“... Jameson?”

  
  


~*~

Episode 16: The Terrier and the Letter (Part 1 of 2)

~*~

  
  


Chase shouts the doctor’s name, making Henrik break whatever trance he was in, and Schneeplestein orders them to bring the hound into his office. The doctor then turns, rushing into the mentioned room, and makes quick work of moving some furniture out of the way before pulling down a Murphy Bed hidden in the wall. It’s usually for Henrik to sleep on when he’s so exhausted that he doesn’t want to make the trek upstairs to his bed. It’s now going to be used as an impromptu operating table. It’s not the best, but it will have to do. 

 

Jack and Chase set the hound down on the bed, and Jack moves out of the way as Henrik shouts orders at Chase before getting to work. 

 

As he stands in the far corner of the room, Jack notes that having Chase dress up as Henrik’s medical assistant for the lemur-breakout mission wasn’t just for show. Henrik shouts medical terms and orders that goes over Jack’s head, but Chase seems to understand them perfectly. He supposes that, after living with a doctor for so many years, you’d pick up on the profession. 

 

After a bit, Jack ends up falling into the guest chair of the room in shock. Chase and Henrik have seemed to completely forgot about his presence for the time being, and Jack can’t help but stare at the scene in front of him. 

 

Jackie soon comes into view through the doorframe, panicked eyes observing and taking in the event before they land on a stunned Jack. Jackie’s own shocked expression changes to that of determination, and he moves around the operating bed to take Jack by the hand and help him out of the room. The cardinal shuts the door behind them, and the shouts and orders instantly muffled by the barrier before he turns to Jack. 

 

The human is shaking, rubbing his arms up and down his upper arms to comfort himself, and Jackie moves to hold him. He pats Jack’s face when the other starts to mumble, saying that he’s never seen a gunshot wound before, and,  _ oh god, _ it’s not gonna die is it? They wouldn’t be operating on it if the dog was unsaveable-

 

“Jack? Jack! Dammit.... Sorry about this.” Jackie pulls one hand back, open palmed. Jack’s head whips to the side from the cardinal smacking his face, and it brings the human back to reality. The human blinks back at him after a moment, and Jackie smiles. “Sorry. Lost ya there for a second.”

 

Jack shakes his head, clearing his mind, and tells Jackie that it’s okay - thanks him, actually, and Jackie brushes some bangs from Jack’s face. 

 

“What’s going on-- Jack?!” Marvin’s voice shouts from his place halfway down the staircase. The feline dashes the rest of the way down after he spots dried blood on his owners clothes. 

 

Jack catches Marvin as the cat slides into him after failing to stop completely from the sprint down the stairs. The feline is instantly sniffing and pulling at his clothes while worried whines come from deep in his throat. Jack looks up to see Anti at the top of the stairs, and snake eyes are fixed angrily on the blood. Robbie is leaning over the banister, and his wide blank eyes are also taking in the scene below him. “I’m okay, Marv,” Jack reassures him, “It’s not my blood. I promise.” Marvin continues to sniff and inspect him, verifying for himself that his owner isn’t injured, and soon Anti is by his side while tasting the air with his tongue to also make his own conclusions. 

 

Anti’s glare lessens when he reaches whatever result he was looking for, and Marvin holds Jack tightly while the rest look back at the office door. More shouts are coming from it, but any words they hear are still foreign to them. 

 

Jackie turns to Jack after a moment and asks, “What happened? What’s going on in there?” 

 

Jack shakes his head, not really understanding what happened to the dog specifically, but explains that he was just heading home to grab a few things when he found it resting up against the side of his vehicle. When he saw the injury, he panicked and shouted for help. He tells Jackie that he didn’t miss much else, and that he was just as informed as he was. Jack pauses in his explanation, recalling an event, and adds, “... Henrik knows him.” 

 

Anti’s head whips back around to face his owner. “What did you say?” asks the serpent.

 

“He said the name ‘Jameson’,” Jack replies with a sullen look. “I don’t know anything else.” Anti shares a look with Jackie, but the cardinal shakes his head indicating that he doesn’t know the name. 

 

Jackie looks down at Jack’s clothes and sighs. “I have some spare clothes you can wear, Jack. Go on up to my room and change.” 

 

“But I can drive,” Jack weakly protests while not really believing the words himself. 

 

“You’re in no state to go anywhere,” Anti replies, taking his owner’s hand and leads him to the stairs. “C’mon.” Jack pouts but doesn’t protest, and Marvin follows close behind. Jackie looks up at Robbie and asks for his assistance with making breakfast, saying that they’re all gonna need some food by the time Henrik and Chase are done in there, and the lemur agrees to help.

 

By the time Jack changes, calms down, and comes back downstairs with Anti and Marvin, breakfast is done. The meal has been recently served, and both Robbie and Jackie are separating some food to the side before placing a heat cover over it with the intent of sparing some breakfast for Chase and Henrik. 

 

The meal is a simple arrangement of bacon, fruit, eggs, and toast. Jack ends up eating it, if a bit forcefully from Marvin and Anti when all he did was pick at it since his appetite was gone, and the rest nibble on their own food as they converse softly while trying to figure out who the new stranger is. 

 

Soon enough, they hear the office door open, and a set of footsteps go up the stairs and into the main bathroom. The door upstairs shuts, and then another set of footsteps approach the dining room where they all sit. Chase enters the space, shirt removed and being balled up within his hands, and the garment has blood stains on it. He’ll dispose of the soiled cloth later. There are a few drops of blood of jeans, not really noticeable unless you’re looking for them, and his arms are stained with red smears. His hands themselves are clean from wearing medical gloves. 

 

Overall, Chase looks exhausted, but he greets the group with a smile. “He’ll be fine,” Chase informs the group, and the rest sigh with relief. 

 

“Oh thank fuck,” Jack replies, and Marvin nuzzles his shoulder with his face in comfort. Anti’s own hand is on Jack’s back, giving his own form of comfort, but his eyes are fixed on Chase. 

 

“He was shot in the shoulder,” Chase begins to explain, “but the wound is a couple days old. It probably hurt like hell to walk on it. It was a little infected, but we were able to treat it. He won’t be able to use his arm properly for a while, but otherwise he should make a full recovery.”

 

Jack stares at Chase before feeling a pool of dread form in his gut. “His… arm?” Jack asks cautiously, and Chase blinks at him before giving him a sheepish grin - answering Jack’s assumption without words. Jack runs a hand over his face, “He’s a half breed,” states Jack, “I should’ve guessed.” Jack looks up after a minute and continues to question the man. “Who is he? Henrik mentioned the name ‘Jameson’.”

 

Chase’s grin falls to a stumped expression. “I haven’t the slightest idea, to be honest. I’ve lived here for quite a while, but I’ve never seen him before,” Chase explains, “Henrik must’ve met him before I moved in. He mentioned during the operation that Jameson was a half breed. Soon after, Jameson unconsciously changed back into a human. It caught us off guard, but made operating on the wound easier.” He pauses to look back up at the stairs when he hears the bathroom door open again before continuing, “Henrik went to go clean up and change. I’ll be staying near Jameson until he’s done, then I’ll go clean up myself.” Another pause and Chase turns his head towards the office. “It’s strange,” Chase adds.

 

“What is?” is Jack’s reply. 

 

“We all look identical, to some extent, with variants of hair color and animal appearance, but Jameson.. He looks like a combination of two different types of people,” Chase states, tilting his head to the side, “I wonder why that is?”

 

“It’s because he has more than one owner,” Henrik’s states, startling the rest from his sudden appearance in the other entryway of the dining room. He’s shirtless, wearing only a pair of cream colored sweatpants, and is drying off his hair with a white towel while his wings occasionally flutter and shake the remaining droplets off the feathers. The doctor moves to sit down at one of the ends of the table, and Robbie offers him a cup of coffee. Henrik accepts it with a tired ‘thank you’. 

 

“What do you mean ‘more than one owner’?” asks Anti. 

 

The doctor takes a sip of coffee before replying. “The actual owner of this house, the other doctor, is one of Jameson’s many owners. The doctor works for another family at the moment, and judging by his features, they’ve accepted him into the family as well,” Henrik explains. 

 

“I don’t understand,” Jack replies, “Why does he look like us, then, as well?” 

 

Henrik hums, understanding Jack’s question, as he removes the food cover and reaches for a piece of bacon. “I’ve known Jameson for a long time,” the doctor begins, “Since I live here, and have basically claimed this home as my own, I’ve accepted the responsibility of taking care of Jameson while he’s here. In turn, that makes me one of his owners.” He pauses to take a couple bites of food before continuing, “He’s lived with the other man for years, though, so I was shocked to see him at my doorstep - let alone wounded. I have no idea why he’s here of all places.”

 

“Who is he, Henrik?” Jack asks.

 

“His full name is Jameson Jackson, and he’s part Irish Terrier,” the doctor responds. Jack hums and is content with the answer. 

 

The others have been sitting silently while taking in the information. When silence fills the room, Jackie looks around and notices that someone is missing. “Hey, where’d Robbie go?”

 

They all look around, also realizing their lemur friend is gone, and Chase turns his head to look back towards the office. The door to the room is open once more, so the hound makes his way towards it and peeks in. 

 

Robbie is sitting in one of the guest chairs, placed near Jameson’s bedside, and is watching the man sleep with lazy eyes. Henrik and the others are close behind Chase, and when the doctor looks down, he sees a cream colored envelope in Robbie’s hands. The lemur, noticing their presence, looks down at the envelope before slowly reaching up to hand it to Henrik. 

 

He takes the sealed parchment, turns it over in his hands, and frowns at what he sees. The envelope is made of thicker quality paper and is marked with some blood spatter and teeth marks. Henrik figures that Jameson must’ve carried it in his mouth once he changed. Keeping the envelope closed is a black wax stamp seal. “Robbie, where did you find this?” Henrik asks the lemur, and the man points out towards the entryway. 

 

“It must’ve fallen out when we carried him in here,” adds Chase, and the doctor hums in reply before turning back to stare at the seal. 

 

After a moment, he sighs and turns to the group. “Apologies, but I need you all to leave for a bit. This letter is a private matter,” Henrik addresses them, “I’ll watch over Jameson, Chase, so you go upstairs and wash up.”

 

Jackie seems like he’s about to protest before Jack grabs his arm to stop him. The cardinal frowns when Jack shakes his head, telling him to let the matter go, and Jackie pouts but listens to Jack’s request.

 

Chase goes over to Robbie and offers him a hand. “C’mon, let’s go,” says Chase, and Robbie takes the offered hand before being led out of the room. Chase is the last to leave, and he stops short of closing the door to look back at Henrik. “... I don’t know what’s going on, but I hope you know what you’re doing.” With that said, Chase shuts the door and leaves. 

 

Henrik waits until he hears the sound of footsteps fade away towards either the upper floor, the conservatory, the kitchen, or the dining room before looking back down at the envelope. “...So do I,” he replies to the quiet room. 

  
  
  



	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The half breeds discuss the situation, and Jack makes a plan.

Jack preoccupies himself by picking up the dishes and leftover food in the dining room and carries them to the kitchen with the assistance of Marvin and Robbie. Anti ends up hovering around Jack while he does the dishes and makes sure that his owner is alright. Jack reassures him that he’s fine, but the serpent can tell that his owner is still lost within his own thoughts. Anti brushes some of Jack’s bangs away from his face and kisses his forehead. His owner smiles in response and pulls Anti into a hug. The tension and worry seems to radiate off of Jack, and Anti hugs him back tighter, burying his face into the hairs on the side of Jack’s head. Snake eyes look towards the direction of the conservatory as Jack sighs and relaxes into Anti’s embrace. 

  
  


~*~

Episode 17: The Terrier and the Letter (Part 2 of 2)

~*~

  
  


Eventually, Jack pulls away and thanks him before turning back to the sink to finish cleaning the dishes. Anti makes eye contact with Marvin, asking him without words to watch over Jack, and the feline nods in a silent agreement. 

 

The serpent leaves the kitchen, letting the others finish cleaning up, and makes his way into the conservatory where Chase and Jackie are. Jackie has his arms crossed and is glaring at Chase while the other has his hands up defensively. “Look, you’ve been with him the longest,” Jackie says to Chase, “Don’t you know anything about what’s going on?” 

 

Chase opens and closes his mouth, trying to find an answer, but pause as they watch Anti enter the room and approach the two. “I trust Henrik enough to stay out of his business,” Anti adds, “but now whatever is going on now is beginning to affect Jack. Since Jack is my owner, it’s now my business. He’s been acting really strange around Henrik since yesterday, and I know it isn’t just because of Robbie’s presence.”

 

Chase stares at Anti before sighing and looking towards the doorway leading to the rest of the house. “I .. don’t know much, unfortunately,” Chase begins, “Even if I have lived here a long time, Henrik has never told me about it. I don’t even know the other doctor’s name, the one that owns this home, nor have I ever seen him. The only thing I do know is that Henrik made some phone calls after talking with you about breaking Robbie out. I’m not sure who he was talking to, but it sounded like Henrik was cashing in on a big favor he owed someone. I couldn’t hear everything, but it sounded like it had something to do with-”

 

“-The missing videos,” Jackie concludes, and the two other half breeds turn to look at him. The cardinal has a hand tucked at his chin with his eyes slightly unfocused as he’s partially lost in thought. “I was wondering what the birds meant by that.”

 

“You spied on them?” ask Anti, and Jackie nods to confirm. 

 

“Yeah. Curiosity got the better of me, but now I’m glad that I did,” Jackie looks back up at them, “I was wondering why there wasn’t more surveillance footage leaked, but I had no idea Henrik had anything to do with that, either.”

 

“He never brings up the other doctor that much,” Chase replies, “To be honest, I keep forgetting that he’s the one that owns the house, not us. This is the most I’ve seen any involvement of him. There’s something else that’s strange.”

 

“What is it?” ask Anti.

 

“The letter,” Chase explains, “The style is so…  _ formal. _ Not a lot of people send letters anymore, let alone with a wax stamp. Henrik has a computer, and we live in the age of smartphones. Why not just send an email?”

 

The room falls silent, none of them really having an immediate answer. There’s a light knock on the door frame and eyes turn to see Marvin standing in the entryway. “Hey, Marvin,” Jackie greets him, “You guys all done?” The feline nods and steps into the room. 

 

“Where’s Jack?” Anti asks Marvin.

 

“He’s with Robbie,” Marvin replies. Anti looks back at the doorway and begins to move out of the room to go find his owner, but Marvin stops him by grabbing his wrist. “Anti, wait. Whatever you’re planning on doing, you need to leave Henrik alone.”

 

The serpent glares back at him. “Are you serious?” Anti replies, “If it wasn’t for Henrik, then Jack wouldn’t be-”

 

“If it wasn’t for  _ any _ of us, Jack wouldn’t be in this situation at all!” Marvin’s loud voice cuts Anti off mid rant. Everyone else in the room visibly flinches at the sudden level in volume. After a moment, Marvin closes his eyes briefly and sighs before speaking in a more hushed tone. “Something is odd about this, yes. None of us are oblivious to it, and Henrik knows that. He isn’t stupid. Whatever it is, though, he’s done his best to keep us out of it. He’s protecting us from something dangerous, that much is obvious. Let him be while he sorts things out.” Jackie looks like he’s about to protest, but Marvin continues to speak over him. “Whatever he’s involved with, it’s something that has enough influence to cover our tracks. Seriously, in any other situation, there’d be no way we could’ve broken Robbie out without getting caught. You all know this. Jack knows this, too. Yet, he’s not pushing it. We shouldn’t, either.” 

 

Anti fumes, “Marvin, Jack is still upset-”

 

“ _ Please, _ Anti,” the feline pleads, “I know. This is eating away at me, too. There’s nothing I’d rather do that go get some answers out of Henrik, but this isn’t the time. He doesn’t need the stress of having us not trust him while he’s busy protecting us from whatever influence he doesn’t want us finding out about. He’s done nothing but care for all of us - including Jack. So, please, for now, let's just do what Jack wants. If he doesn't want to push Henrik for answers, then neither will we.”

 

Anti searches Marvin’s pleading face with angry eyes while Chase and Jackie share a look. Even though Marvin is pleading with Anti, they know that the request is towards all of them. After a moment, Anti huffs and pulls his wrist away but doesn’t move any further than that. “This isn’t over, Marvin. The moment I sense any danger towards Jack, I’m going after Henrik until I get some fucking answers.”

 

Marvin nods in understanding before he turns his pleading eyes to Chase and Jackie. The two men sigh before agreeing to Marvin’s request. 

 

“How are you okay with this?” asks Anti, and the feline turns back to face him. 

 

“I don’t know Henrik all that well. You and Chase know him better than I do, but I’m relying on my animal instincts with this,” Marvin explains, “Right now, they’re telling me that he’s not a bad guy. Out of everyone here, I trust Jack the most, and he’s probably the most confused out of all of us. If Jack asks to let it go, then I’m going to let it go. If Jack learning Henrik’s backstory puts him in danger, then you bet I’m going to do everything I can to make sure Jack never finds out.”

 

Jackie thinks back to the day where Jack and himself came up the stairs to find Marvin standing in Henrik’s bedroom doorway, and Jackie’s eyes widen. “No way,” he begins, “... Marvin, you knew about Henrik?” Anti and Chase’s eyes move back and forth between the two men as they converse.

 

Marvin sighs before responding. “It was nothing more than a feeling,” the feline explains, “I knew there was something off about Henrik, but I couldn’t make out what it was. It’s like this manor. The original owner, that doctor, his imprint is here. It’s not dangerous, as long as you don’t bother it, but…”

 

“Mess with it,” Chase concludes, “and it’ll turn on you.” Marvin nods in reply.

 

Anti curses under his breath. “Dammit, Henrik. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”

 

Out of sight, Jack stands near the entrance to the conservatory with his back leaning against the wall. Robbie is by his side, and they’re both quiet as they listen to the conversation taking place nearby. After the words fall silent, the lemur reaches up to tug on Jack’s sleeve. The other man looks up and smiles at him before it falls once more. 

 

Jack makes a small noise of surprise when Robbie gently hugs him with his arms coming around to wrap loosely at Jack’s waist. Jack returns the embrace after a moment and listens as the conversation continues. 

 

“Please, everyone, just let it go,” Marvin pleads once more, and Jack looks up over Robbie’s shoulder towards the office door. “I don’t want to see Jack sad anymore.”

 

Jack’s breath hitches, his grip around Robbie tightening a moment, before he lets Robbie go and makes his way towards the office. He makes sure his footsteps can be heard by the doctor. 

 

The commotion makes the others aware of his presence, and Jack vaguely acknowledges them calling out his name, but he doesn’t stop until he’s right in front of the office door. Jack doesn’t raise his hand to knock, doesn’t do anything but stand there for a moment, and his fists clench at his sides as he finds the words that he wants to say.

 

The others start to follow Jack, but Robbie stops them in their tracks. Anti glares, but Robbie just holds up a finger to his own lips, asking him to just be quiet and listen. The serpent purses his lips but does as requested as he looks back towards Jack. They all know Henrik is listening; the sounds in the room are too quiet to indicate anything else. 

 

There’s so many things Jack wants to say. He has so many questions, and they’re ones that he knows that the answers will only lead to more confusion. He wants assurances that everything is fine, that nothing is wrong, and that they all can be happy.

 

Jack looks towards the front door leading outside. It’s surrounded by panes of glass on all sides. He’s not sure what compelled him to look, but what he sees has him surprised. 

 

It’s started to snow. There’s a thin white blanket of snow on the ground, and his mouth parts in thought as his mind provide him memories of his childhood home decorated for the season, back in the woods, where that same snowfall would coat the forest, and the sounds of laughter, cheer, and  _ happiness _ filled the air.

 

After a moment, a look of determination crosses Jack’s face before he turns back towards the door. He knows what he wants to say.

 

“Henrik, I know you can hear me,” Jack begins, “I have a request.” The others watch as the room before Jack remains silent. “I want to have a Christmas party.”

 

The sound of someone choking on coffee comes from the other side of the door, and the other half breeds make some noise of bafflement.

 

Jack ignores them. The glare he is sending into the door doesn’t match the happy suggestion coming from his lips. “There’s going to be presents, food, music, and even a large fir tree,” Jack continues, “My place is too small, so we’re going to have it here. Everyone is invited, including Jameson.” 

 

The sound of an office chair creaking comes from the other side, and is soon followed by muffled footsteps approaching the door. Jack doesn’t move from it. 

 

“We’ll all play games, tell stories around the fireplace, and if the weather holds, I want a snowball fight,” Jack adds. 

 

The door opens to reveal a very shocked and confused Henrik staring back at Jack. 

 

“If you’re lucky,” Jack concludes, “Then there might even be some mistletoe.”

 

Henrik stares at the man before him in a stupor for what seems like an hour before he finally replies. “I… didn’t know you were religious.”

 

Jack’s lips twitch in a half smile before regaining his composure. “I’m not,” he replies, “but it was still an event that I had with my family, anyway. We used it more as an excuse to get together, exchange gifts, and have fun, rather than celebrate a religious birthday.”

 

The doctor gives Jack another hard look, “Jack, what is this about?”

 

Jack’s gaze never wavers, “I have no idea what you mean.”

 

Henrik’s expression turns into a scowl, “Don’t play coy with me.”

 

“Hello pot,” Jack replies with a scoff, “I’m kettle. Nice to meet you.” That earns him a glare, but Henrik doesn’t deny Jack’s accusation. Jack’s own expression softens, and he asks with a sigh, “What you said in the garden yesterday, about us being safe, is that still true?”

 

Henrik’s eyes scan Jack’s face, trying to understand where this conversation was going, but failing to get a grasp on the situation. “... Yes,” he finally replies. 

 

“You’ll protect us?” Jack continues his questioning. 

 

The scowl returns to Henrik’s face. “What is your point--”

 

“ _ Answer me,”  _ spats Jack, and both Henrik and the half breeds jump at the sudden angry tone. 

 

Jack’s gaze never wavers as he stares Henrik down, and the dove has to do his best to not break the gaze. The doctor’s eyes dance as he searches his mind for.. something. Jack can tell when the other finally finds an answer. “... With my life.”

 

Jack huffs, not being satisfied with Henrik’s answer. “I don’t want your life, Henrik. I want your word.”

 

“My ‘word’?” Henrik asks in confusion, “Why?”

 

“Because,” Jack replies simply, “You’re one of the few people still left on this planet that still believes in the power of them.”

 

The house falls silent once more, and all are processing the conversation and Jack’s final words. 

 

“Henrik,” Jack speaks once more, “I believe in your words, too. We’re family, and you’re a part of it. If you tell me that you have everything under control, then I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and let it go. That’s what I agreed to in the garden yesterday, and I’m not backing out of that now.”

 

Henrik’s eyes never stop searching Jack’s face. “... Why are you so trusting?” he asks Jack.

 

“Because you all have given me the same trust,” Jack replies, crossing his arms in the process, “So, I’ll ask you once more. Are we safe?”

 

Henrik stares at Jack a moment longer before looking past his shoulder at the other half breeds. Anti and Jackie’s expressions are stern where Marvin’s is worried. Chase is a mix between the two, and Robbie’s neutral expression makes it hard to tell what he’s thinking. Henrik then looks back into the room, first at the sleeping Jameson, and then to the opened letter resting on the desk. The doctor is silent through the entire observation, and soon he turns back to Jack where bright blue eyes continue to stare him down. 

 

Henrik’s expression turns to clarity and determination. “As of right now, yes, you’re safe,” Henrik begins, “The people that took a hit on Jameson has nothing to do with us. Even the letter didn’t have anything worth shooting him for. They probably went after him due to being associated with someone else.”

 

“That doctor and the people he works for,” Jack concludes, and Henrik hums in agreement. Jack sighs and nods his head, finally breaking his gaze with the doctor, and is satisfied with the answer for now. 

 

“You’re not going to ask about them?” Henrik asks, and Jack huffs a laugh.

 

“Would you answer me?” Jack replies. Henrik’s smile confirms what Jack already knows. “Then, with that being said, I want a party. It’s December, so we’re going to decorate your manor to the point where it looks like Santa jizzed all over this place.”

 

Marvin and Jackie snort and start laughing, Chase makes a gagging noise, and Anti request that Jack use a better choice of words next time. Jack tries to fight back a smile at their responses to his statement because he’s trying to hold a serious conversation with Henrik, but it’s not working. 

 

Henrik rolls his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Is that really necessary?”

 

“Yes,” Jack replies simply, “This is your punishment for being an asswagon.”

 

“Did he just say ‘asswagon’?” Chase asks Anti.

 

“Yeah,” Anti replies blandly, “you get use to it.”

 

Henrik stares back at Jack, considering him once more, before closing his eyes and sighing in defeat. Jack beams back at him, finally cracking a smile, and turns to the rest of the group and tells Anti and Marvin to get dressed because they’re going shopping. Jackie perks up, claiming that he wants to come along too, and Jack tells them all to go get ready. Henrik and Chase tell Jack that they’ll stay home to watch over Jameson, and Robbie chooses to stay as well. 

 

The doctor watches the group run upstairs before turning back to Jameson. He observes the man sleep peacefully for a long moment before looking back at the letter. 

 

Upstairs, Anti and Marvin are following Jackie down the hall to borrow a couple more sets of clothes, and Jack follows after. Anti slows down for a moment and holds Jack back so he can talk to him. “How are you so okay with all of this?” the serpent asks his owner.

 

“I’m not,” Jack replies simply, and that answer causes Anti to stop in his tracks and whip around and face him. 

 

He hisses, “Then why are you-”

 

“Because that’s how trust works,” Jack answers with sad eyes. Anti’s mouth snaps shut as he looks over his owner. Marvin is halfway down the hall, and has stopped to look back at them. 

 

Anti’s own snake eyes search Jack’s face for another moment. “.. I don’t like it,” he states simply. 

 

“I know… ,” Jack replies.

 

In the office, the impression of a rose surrounded by thorns is imprinted into the black wax, and it’s details are highlighted by the light coming from the lamp on Henrik’s desk.

 

“... Neither do I.”


	18. chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jameson wakes up

A black mustache twitches to life, and is followed by the furrowing of eyebrows and hands clenching the sheets, before dark blue eyes slowly open. They blink, slowly gaining focus, and they take in the evening light coming through the familiar office window. 

 

After a moment, Jameson turns his head to take in the rest of the room. He sees a fresh clothing for him to change into resting on a chair, a simple button-up and some slacks, and he tries to sit up and move. The wound in his shoulder twinges in pain, but it’s not nearly as painful as Jameson remembers. Looking down, he sees that it’s been treated and wrapped in bandages. There’s a slight pink tinge there, but the rest of the bandage is clean. The pain he feels is now a healing one, rather than infected, and relief settles upon him. 

 

Moving more cautiously, he sits up the rest of the way until he can move his legs to the side of the bed. He reaches over for the clothes with his good arm and dresses. First it’s the boxers, then slacks, and he makes sure his brown tail is free before fastening the clasp on the trousers. For the button-up, he chooses to let it rest on and around his shoulders like a cape due to his shoulder being too sore to dress into it fully by himself. 

 

Jameson hears some muffled voices come from outside the office, so he holds the shirt closed with one hand as he opens the office door with the other.

 

He’s instantly pelted in the face by a handful of silver colored tensile.

  
  


~*~

Episode 18: Home for the Holidays (Part 1 of 2)

~*~

  
  


Jameson blinks in surprise, not expecting the ‘attack’ in the slightest, and sees Jackie standing right beside him in a post-dodge pose whereas Chase in the distance is in a post-throw. Both men have handfuls of tensile, and the surrounding entryway is covered in various clumps of silver strands from the impromptu fight. 

 

Jackie is the first to recover from the shock of the newcomer’s presence. “Hey! Mornin’, sleepy head! Finally woke up, eh?” The cardinal greets him while dusting off some tensile from Jameson’s hair. Eventually, the terrier composes himself from the shock and raises a hand to wave ‘hello’ in return. Jackie calls out for Henrik, knowing that he’s somewhere in the manor, and Jameson takes in the scene around him.

 

The entryway itself is decorated for the holidays. The staircase and balcony rails are wrapped in beautiful garland, and the garland itself has various ornaments, bows, and lights intertwined into it. There are various clear vases filled with cream colored ornaments and white led lights placed on side tables around the space, and framing the sides of them are white, unlit candles resting on gold or silver colored plates. Surrounding the base of both the candles and the vases are miniature wreaths made of fake fir branches. 

 

Jackie and Chase get in a non-heated dispute about the tensile mess that’s covering the ground floor of the entryway. Jackie blames Chase for the mess, and Chase retorts that Jackie is the one that started the fight in the first place. Jackie counters that Chase is the one who opened a fresh bag to continue the fight once they ran out of tensile, and Jameson watches the dispute with a smile of amusement. 

 

“Jameson, you should be resting,” a voice tells him, and he turns to see who spoke. Henrik is walking out of the kitchen, and regardless of his ridicule, the doctor reaches up to brush the remaining strands of silver gently from Jameson’s shoulders before giving him a warm smile. “It’s been a while, Jameson. It’s good to see you. How are you feeling?” 

 

The terrier nods at him once to indicate that he’s feeling much better.

 

“Glad to hear it,” Henrik replies and reaches up to tame some of Jameson’s messy bedhead before giving his ears a brief scratch and pet. Jameson smiles wider and closes his eyes at the petting while his tail begins to wag. 

 

Jameson soon remembers why he’s at the manor in the first place, and looks up towards Henrik with questioning eyes. “Yes, I received the letter,” Henrik assures him, “Don’t worry about that. Just focus on getting better, now.” 

 

The terrier’s expression is now one of relief, and he nods in acceptance to the doctor’s request about recovering.  

 

Henrik turns to take in the mess around the area before introducing the two bickering half breeds. “Jackie, Chase, this is Jameson Jackson. He’s welcomed in this home just as much as you two are, so please treat him kindly.”

 

Both men greet Jameson in return. “Nice to meet you, Jameson,” said Chase with a smile. 

 

“Yeah,” Jackie adds, “Nice to meet you, JJ!”

 

Jameson’s eyes widen in shock at the nickname whereas Henrik snorts. He’s about to tell Jackie to knock it off before he sees Jameson’s form shake a little out of the corner of his eye. Turning back to him, he sees that the terrier is silently laughing, hand covering his smile to poorly cover his amusement at the name. Henrik shakes his head with a smile and lets the matter go. 

 

It’s at this time that Jack, Anti, and Marvin return from another trip to town. The feline opens the door and holds it open as Jack and Anti drag in a large fir tree with a stand connected to its base. They carry the tree into the Study and set it up in its prearranged designated spot in the corner between the fireplace and the bookshelf. It’s only when it’s upright and Jack is wiping his hands on his pants to get rid of the dirt and sap that he sees that the new half breed is awake. 

 

Jack sees that Jameson really is part Irish Terrier. The brown ears and tail are the signature traits that reflect his half breed status, and, like Chase, Jameson’s hair is all brown sans a black mustache that curls evenly at its ends. Dressed in a pair of dark blue slacks and a white button up, he also has a black dog collar resting loosely around his neck. A metal tag hangs from the collar, and a symbol of a rose with thorns is the only marking on its shiny surface. Other than that, he’s identical to Jack as well, and Jack smiles warmly before walking over to the terrier to greet him as well.

 

“Hi there,” Jack begins, reaching out his hand, “My name is Jack. It’s nice to meet you, Jameson.”

 

Jameson smiles and takes the offered hand within his own. He bows his head slightly, returning the greeting, but Henrik doesn’t miss the cautious eyes he sends towards the human. 

 

“It’s alright, Jameson,” Henrik adds, “I know what you’re thinking, but I’ve already informed your other owner about his presence. He’s welcomed here just as much as you are.” With that being stated, Jameson’s expression immediately changes to acceptance, and he nods apologetically before letting go of Jack’s hand.

 

Jack smiles back, not offended in the slightest. “You’re okay. I’m use to it by now.” 

 

Marvin and Anti soon come up behind Jack and introduce their own selves to the terrier. The feline wraps a blanket around Jameson’s shoulders, and when Jameson looks at him in confusion, Marvin explains that it’s winter time and there’s no way Jameson is warm wearing such a thin button-up like that.

 

During this time, Jackie and Chase have been cleaning up the ruined tinsel and have just returned from throwing it away. “Chase, do you have any spare warmer clothes that Jameson can wear?” asks Henrik.

 

“Yeah, I can find something,” Chase replies, “Follow me, JJ.” Henrik scoffs that the use of the nickname again and notes that Jackie’s influence with nicknames is more powerful than the thought. 

 

It isn’t until they’re out of view when Jack turns back to the doctor. “How is he, Henrik?”

 

“He’ll survive,” he replies, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him. I’ll check the wound in a bit before redressing the bandage. Jameson woke up sooner than expected, but he seems fine. I can’t really keep him bedridden. He’s the kind of guy where if he stays put or allows me to work on him, it’s because he’s allowing me to.” Henrik pauses in his response and looks back at Jack. “He’s just like someone else I know.”

 

Jack huffs with a smile, and both Anti and Marvin snicker at the comment. 

 

The feline takes Jack’s hand, and his owner turns to him. “We can start decorating the tree now, right? You said we could when we got home.”

 

Anti replies for him, “He only promised you because it would be impractical to decorate the tree before we even brought it into the house.” Marvin sticks his tongue out at the serpent before turning to Jack and mewling out a whine. 

 

Jack laughs at the expression. “Yes, I guess I did promise you. Alright, let’s go.” Marvin is halfway into the Study by the time Jack finishes his sentence. Jackie is right on his heels, also eager to start the decorating process, and both Jack and Anti follow the duo into the room. Henrik watches them go with a warm smile before looking back up at the staircase. After a moment, he goes into his office to retrieve his medical bag.

 

Upstairs, Jameson stands awkwardly in Chase’s room, looking around with cautious but observing eyes as the other man searches through his dresser to find something warm for the terrier to wear. He turns his attention back to him when the other makes a noise of accomplishment. Pulling out a light tan sweater and some flannel sleep pants, Chase turns back to and walks over to Jameson before reaching out to hand the garments to him. “Here ya go. This should warm you up a little.”

 

Jameson nods his thanks in return, taking the clothes from Chase, but he notices an odd expression on the others face. He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to the side to express his inquiry.  

 

Chase picks up on it right away and sighs. “This.. this was your room, wasn’t it?” Jameson’s look of surprise was all the confirmation he needed. “When I first moved here, I smelled another canine’s scent. The smell was the strongest in this room, but the room also seemed like it had been vacant for quite some time.” Chase pauses in his explanation before continuing, “I helped carry you into the house, and couldn’t help but catch your scent. Sorry about that.”

 

After a moment, Jameson nods in understanding and smiles briefly. He steps forward into Chase’s personal space after another moment, and when Chase makes no signs for him to stop or back away, Jameson leans in and sniffs at Chase’s neck. The other watches him cautiously and gasps when Jameson steps closer and presses his nose into the other hound’s neck. Jameson drops the clothes onto the bed in favor of holding onto Chase’s shirt, and he lets his eyes flutter shut as he lets Jameson obtain a strong enough scent that’s distinctly  _ Chase _ just as the man had unavoidably done to him while he was unconscious. 

 

Both of their tails lazily wag, and soon Chase is holding Jameson close as they both bury their faces into each other’s necks and just breathe.... 

 

“Well, at least you two don’t sniff each other’s asses to identify one another.” Henrik’s voice makes them jump about half a foot into the air before they break apart and whip around to see the doctor standing in the doorway. 

 

“For fucks sake, Henrik,” Chase yells at the man while holding a hand over his beating heart, “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

 

Henrik tries to fight back a smile and fails miserably. “You’re the one that left the door open. Learn to shut it if you want some privacy.”

 

Jameson’s face is cherry-red from embarrassment, and he’s purposely avoiding eye contact with both Chase and Henrik for being caught in such a state. 

 

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Chase asks.

 

Henrik gestures to his medical bag in response. “Since you have him half dressed anyway, I thought I’d check on the wound while I had the chance.” Chase huffs in response before moving out of the way and letting the doctor enter his room. 

 

“Has he always been this nosey of an asshole?” Chase stage-whispers to Jameson in passing, and the terrier brings up his hand to cover his silent laugh. Henrik rolls his eyes before setting his medical bag on the bed and opening it. He removes some clean bandages and antiseptic before asking Jameson to take a seat on the bed. 

 

Henrik carefully removes the bandages and checks on the wound before treating and redressing it all the while asking questions about how Jameson is feeling, the pain scale, and other questions. The terrier answers all to the best of his ability, and Henrik hums with every answer he finds satisfactory. Chase stands back behind Henrik and watches him work.

 

“It looks like the swelling has gone down, which is good,” Henrik concludes as he packs his equipment away, “It’s healing nicely, but it will take a while for it to heal completely. Don’t stress it out too much.” He looks back at Chase, “That includes sexual activities.”

 

The hound sputters at the accusation. “That’s not- we weren’t - Dammit, Henrik, that’s not what we were doing!” Jameson bows his head in embarrassment, but looks back up towards Chase after a moment. The man is turned partially away, arms crossed and pouting, but his tail is wagging back and forth which makes Jameson smile knowing that he didn’t cross the line somewhere. 

 

After helping him into the sweater, Henrik and Chase leave the room so that Jameson had some privacy to change into the remaining warmer clothes. One he’s finished, Jameson goes downstairs to find the Study in a state of amusing chaos. 

 

The tree is in the middle of being decorated by multiple people. Anti is wrapping the tree in garland, and Jackie hangs various ornaments near the top of the tree while Jack and Marvin take care of the middle and lower sections of the douglas fir. Chase is ridiculing Jackie for making a mess of all the boxes the mentioned ornaments came in, and Jackie defends by saying he wasn’t the only one who made it a mess. Henrik is sitting in one of the chairs by the fire with a cup of coffee in hand as he watches the scene unfold with a smile. 

 

Jameson hears someone approach from behind and turns to see another man he hasn’t met yet. Robbie walks up to the entryway of the study carrying a small tray of cookies and looks back at Jameson with curious eyes. Jack comes up beside Henrik to observe the interaction. 

 

From his perspective, Jameson and Robbie occasionally tilt their heads, tails twitching now and then, before Jameson perks up with a happy expression. A little bit of light actually comes into Robbie’s own eyes and he softly smiles back. Jameson begins to wave his hands around, gesturing at both various things and at nothing in particular, and Robbie occasionally nods back at him while his striped tail sways back and forth. Visualize some actual verbal dialogue in there, and it’d seem like a normal conversation.

 

“Jameson is mute,” Henrik explains to Jack unprompted. The human looks down at the doctor as the man takes a sip of his coffee. “He was in an accident when he was just a pup and suffered an injury on his neck.” The doctor points towards Jameson, and when Jack looks, he can actually make out a thin line of a scar going across his throat. It’s barely noticeable, being that it’s hidden behind the loose collar, but Jack does see it. “He survived, obviously, but at the cost of losing his voice. It seems that Jameson has discovered another one of us that prefers to talk without words.”

 

“I thought you all could talk to each other without words, though,” states Jack.

 

“We can,” Henrik begins to explain, “but this is different. We normally choose to talk that way only when we feel like it, but most times we prefer talking like you and I are doing right now. It’s easier for us to adapt in the outside world that way, and we do it so much that it’s become second nature,” Henrik takes another sip of coffee, “Jameson no longer gets that choice. He normally stays near another half breed when he’s around humans so he doesn’t have to struggle with communicating.”

 

“Has he ever learned sign language?” asks Jack. Robbie offers a cookie to Jameson, and the other happily takes one before eating it. 

 

“He knows some of it,” replies the doctor, “but I don’t think he’s really around enough humans to keep it into practice. I’m not sure what all he knows.” 

 

Jack hums in reply, thinking things over. “Maybe I’ll teach myself some basic phrases sometime.”

 

Henrik smiles into his cup. “I think he would appreciate that.” They watch the two interact for a while, not really aware that the rest of them had stopped and listen to Henrik’s explanation as they watch and listen. Robbie seems genuinely happier along with Jameson. “To find someone that helps take the burden off of not being able to speak must be a nice relief off his mind.”

 

Jack smiles warmly at that. “I’m glad.”

 

Soon, the decorating is finished, and after another hour of cleaning up and storing away boxes, Henrik admits that the new holiday appearance of the home looks very beautiful. A while later, Jack tells Anti and Marvin that it’s time to leave and bid the rest of them a good night and farewell before carefully driving through the snow back home. Henrik asks Chase to help Jameson settle into a new room upstairs, and both Jackie and Robbie follow the duo up to go to their own respective rooms and retire for the night. 

 

Hours pass for the doctor while he finishes up some paperwork in his office. He’s changed the sheets and folded up the Murphy bed so that his office is back to normal, and it’s not until his third cup of coffee is empty that he finally calls it an evening. He reaches above his head to stretch his arms and back before taking his mug and turning off the light on his desk. 

 

Locking his office up for the night, he moves to set his cup in the sink before moving back to the base of the staircase. The doctor pauses, looking towards the Study, and there’s a warm glow coming from it. The rest of the home is dark and all the lights turned off for the night -except for the tree. After a moment, Henrik walks into the Study and takes a seat near the fireplace.

 

The coals are barely there, the flames having died out quite a while ago, and the soft twinkling lights from the led bulbs give the room such a warm feeling that Henrik can’t help but smile. He looks over towards the top of the mantle to see the other decorations there. Resting on its brick surface are more clear vases filled with ornaments and lights framed by previously lit candles resting in chalice shaped holders. Hanging on the edge are a series of differently decorated stockings waiting to be filled with candies and gifts. 

 

When had his home become so full? From a snake with a temper, two loyal dogs, a loud cardinal, a quiet lemur, a protective feline, and a warm loving human. Several years ago, Henrik was content on living by himself. A few years ago, he was content living with Chase. 

 

Today, he has a house full of half breeds, a heart full of love, and Henrik doesn’t want to think of a world without them. The letter resting on his desk doesn’t necessarily haunt him, but it is heavy on his mind. They’ve been in contact with him more, ever since the zoo, and it’s worrisome at best. They haven’t asked anything from him yet, it’s only been information, but he’s worked with them long enough before to know that something is going on. Finding Jameson on his doorstep was the only confirmation he needed. 

 

Jack’s worried eyes flash in the doctor’s mind, and he closes his own eyes to fight off the image. He won’t concern the others, for now, because there really hasn’t been anything to be concerned about. Henrik vows to himself that he’ll keep them safe and will do everything in his power to keep that promise. 

 

The twinkling lights and stockings are the only witnesses to that silent vow.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome! Yes! This part is done! All of Jack's egos have been introduced, and now it's time for a lovely, cozy little party~
> 
> For those of you who like smut warnings, there is a smut scene in here, but the rest is just lovey nonsense~
> 
> ... Well.. most of it anyway. 
> 
> :)
> 
> Enjoy~

Anti is vaguely aware of the morning light pouring into the bedroom window, and he’s even less aware of Jack waking up and stretching before kissing the serpent's head. He manages to make some noise from his throat, acknowledging Jack’s presence, before his owner gets out of bed and let the man fall back asleep.

 

It isn’t until a while later that he recalls waking up to the sound of running footsteps thumping loudly towards the bedroom door. It’s quickly followed by the mentioned door slamming open, and Anti has no time to react before a certain feline half breed launches onto the bed and tackles a sleeping Anti into the soft mattress. 

 

The serpent shouts in shock and annoyance, and Anti can feel Marvin’s elbow dig into his back as the other man regains his balance on top of him. The snake looks back over his shoulder, snake eyes glaring up at the man, but the white eared feline only beams down at him. Before Anti even gets the chance to ask why he’s been woken up in such a manner,  _ again _ , Marvin beats him to it.

 

“Get up, Anti! It’s Christmas!”

  
  


~*~

Episode 19: Home for the Holidays (Part 2 of 2)

~*~

  
  


Marvin pulls a half awake Anti down the hallway by gripping his wrist while the serpent uses his free hand to rub the sleep from his eyes. Jack is just finishing up plating their breakfast when they finally enter the kitchen. 

 

“You guys are never going to let me sleep in again, like, ever, are you?” Anti asks the room while he plops down into a chair at the dining table, “The sun is barely up, for fuck’s sake.”

 

“Jack’s making us eat first before we open presents,” Marvin replies excitedly, ignoring Anti’s question while helping Jack bring over the food and drinks. 

 

“The presents haven’t moved in the last week. I’m sure they’d still be waiting for you in a couple hours from now, Marv,” Anti states sleepily while biting into a slice of toast.

 

Marvin makes a long noise that sounds like a mewl and a whine before bouncing in his seat. “I’m tired of waiting, though! The stickers on the presents say to ‘not open before X-mas’, and now it’s Christmas! No one told me that there was a waiting period on the actual day!”

 

Anti smirks while taking a sip of coffee. “Welcome to reality, Marvin,” he replies simply, “It is a cruel mistress.” 

“Anti…,” Jack chastises the serpent, but the owner himself is having trouble keeping his giggles from the watching the interaction under wraps. Marvin pouts and whines once more before digging into his food, and Jack scratches Marvin behind his ears as an unspoken apology. “To be fair, I did tell him that we’d not be opening gifts until everyone was awake and that we’ve had breakfast and coffee.”

 

“Sleeping in would be the greatest gift of all, Jack,” Anti replies, but there’s a smile on his lips.

 

Marvin ends up devouring his breakfast in a heartbeat, and then pouts some more when he realizes that he has to wait for the other two to finish their own meal. To tease the feline even further, Jack makes them wait until he’s done with the dishes and another pot of coffee is made. This drives the feline practically up the walls, and by the time Jack has another cup of coffee in hand, Marvin is dragging both men into the living room by their elbows. 

 

They all sit on the floor around the smaller decorated tree that they put up about a week prior. It’s less decorated than the one at Henrik’s, but nevertheless it’s beautiful just the same. A combination of red, green, yellow, silver, and blue ornaments and lights make the small fir tree glisten, and a rust colored metal star along with a silver garland compliment the tree like a well placed cherry on a beautiful cake. 

 

There’s not many gifts under the tree, most of them being at the manor, but there’s enough to make the space underneath the decorated fir that it no longer seems empty. Their stockings hang on the bottom of the windowsill nearby since there isn’t a fireplace, and they’re filled with smaller gifts and candies. 

 

Anti and Jack take a seat on the floor near the tree, as instructed by Marvin, and wait as the feline takes down the stockings and starts sorting the gifts. Jack smiles and shares a brief kiss with Anti while they watch the other excitedly jabber on about how the others will like their gifts and tries to guess what they got him by shaking a couple of his own presents. 

 

Marvin asks Jack if they can finally open their gifts, and Jack raises a hand to his chin and poses like he has to think long and hard about the answer. The feline whines, practically climbing into his lap as he begs with wide eyes and loud mewls. Jack can’t hold back his smile. “I dunno… Anti, should we let him open his presents?” 

 

“Depends,” The serpent replies, and his barely contained laughter sounds like a hiss, “Has he been a good kitty?”

 

“He has been pretty picky about his showers this year,” Jack adds, and Marvin’s had enough. 

 

He tackles both men to the ground and actually meows loudly in their ears, expressing his frustration. Jack shouts with glee, arms coming up to wrap around and pet the feline, and Anti is full on laughing now as Marvin squirms and cuddles on top of them. “C’mon,  _ please _ ,” Marvin cries out, “I’ve been good! I promise!”

 

It’s Jack’s turn to finally laugh, and Anti scratches Marvin’s ears. “Go ahead, Marv,” replies Jack, finally giving him permission, and both Anti and Jack groan in pain as Marvin uses their chests to spring back off of them to begin clawing into the decorated wrapping paper. 

 

Jack sits back up and reaches for his stocking before pulling out a candy cane. He unwraps the long end and instantly sticks it in his mouth. Anti had made himself a cup of hot cocoa, so when he unwraps his own candy cane, the serpent sets it in his cup to flavor the warm drink. 

 

The majority of the gifts range from knickknacks, clothes, games, and food. 

 

Anti receives some various sweaters, long sleeve shirts, a pair of his own skinny jeans, warm wool socks, black leather bracelets, and some of his favorite chocolate. Marvin receives two sweaters of his own. One is a forest green color with no print, and the other is black. The black one has an white outlines of cat ears and whiskers framing the words ‘Meow, Bitch.’ in a calligraphy-styled font on the front of it. Other gifts the feline received are also a pair of wool socks and several types of his own favorite colorful candies. 

 

Jack is surprised by his own gifts. He receives a crocheted scarf and matching hat from Anti, and Jack recognizes the pattern. It’s the same one he picked up for the serpent when Anti saw it in a crafting magazine that he’d brought home along with many others from the store he works at. They’re really well made, and the texture is soft to the touch. The gift from Marvin comes in the form of food - specifically homemade fudge, chocolate, and seasoned trail mix. The feline has been learning how to cook while his owner has been working, and, slowly but surely, Marvin’s culinary skills have been improving. Each one is delicious, and Jack expresses his delight from both of their gifts by expressions of gratitude's, hugs, and kisses. 

 

They each have one gift left under the tree, saving the best for last, and the half breeds tell their owner to open his first. Jack does, and after processing what he sees, it takes everything in him not to cry. It’s a small, handmade book that doesn’t look professionally made by any means, but that’s obviously not what’s important. Each page is filled with crayon drawings depicting different events of their lives together. From grocery store trips, to visiting the Zoo, and meeting Henrik, Jackie, Chase, and Robbie. There’s also ticket stubs and receipts tucked into the pages along with silly jokes and random red and yellow leaves they’d found on the ground that they thought were pretty. It’s an album of their lives, personalized by crafts and souvenirs, and Jack feels the tears begin to spill.

 

Jack sets the book down gently before burying his face in his hands to hide the tears, and both Anti and Marvin cuddle up on both sides of him. They hug him tightly while smiling through their own tears, joy feeling their hearts at Jack’s reaction, and they coo and kiss the part of his face that’s not hidden by Jack’s hands. 

 

Their owner eventually composes himself and wipes the tears away, but his smile is now a permanent fixture on his face. He tells them both that their last gifts for them aren’t nearly as sentimental but hopes they like them, anyway. 

 

They both receive identical handheld gaming consoles; Marvin’s is navy blue where Anti’s is forest green, and the systems come with a couple games that they’ve all been wanting to play. Both half breeds are excited for their gift. Marvin tackles Jack back onto the floor with glee, and Anti lays down beside them completing the warm and happy cuddle pile. 

 

When they settle down into a more comfortable position, Jack is spread out on his back while Anti and Marvin are both half-resting on top of him. Their legs straddle Jack’s own as their arms brace against Jack’s chest and the floor to support themselves. They look down at their owner’s smiling face and both smile back down at him in return. Jack reaches up to pet white ears with one hand while carding through forest green locks with the other, and Marvin purrs and leans into the hand while Anti closes his eyes and leans down to kiss Jack deeply. 

 

Jack gasps at the sudden change in mood and arches his back as he feels Marvin’s clawed hand run down his chest, stomach, and navel. “We want to give you another present,” Marvin purrs into his ear before small cat fangs bite his lobe. Jack gasps into the mouth assaulting his own, and Anti responds by pushing his forked tongue deeper into Jack’s mouth. 

 

Both half breeds begin to rock their own arousal into Jack’s thighs and causes Jack to whine high in his throat before breaking the kiss. Anti moves his mouth to pepper Jack’s neck with kisses while his free hand moves down to join Marvin’s, and they slip quick fingers underneath the hem of Jack’s boxers to begin cupping and stroking their owner to full hardness.

 

It’s not long before they find a rhythm, and soon Jack is thrusting as far and fast as he can into their hands. Marvin and Anti rock back into him at the same pace, and soon their voices are a mix of moans, pants, curses, and whines. Jack’s hands scratch down each of their backs while both half breeds endlessly assault their owner’s neck, shoulders, and chest with their mouths. A well placed thumb at the tip of his shaft has Jack shouting and arching his back as he comes in his underwear, and the bucking of the aftershocks soon have Marvin and Anti finding their own climax. They each bite down deep into Jack’s shoulders and neck, causing Jack to cry out weakly and hold onto them for dear life as they both shake through their own bliss. 

 

They all make pleased sounds as the come down from their high, both licking the bite wounds they inflicted, and Jack mentions sleepily that this was one of the better gifts he’s ever received. Anti snorts and Marvin purrs happily into his neck as his tail sways back and forth. 

 

After using their pajamas to clean themselves up, Anti goes into the bathroom and takes a shower while the other two clean up ripped wrapping paper and ruined bows. By the time Anti finishes dressing in his new clothes, Jack is sitting on the couch with Marvin’s head resting in his lap. Jack moves his hand down Marvin’s ears, head, neck, and spine before finishing up at the tail, and he repeats the motion as Marvin purrs happily under the touch. The feline mewls softly, protesting when Jack shakes his shoulders lightly and tells him to go take a shower and change, but eventually, Marvin stretches his back like any feline would before getting to his feet and obeying Jack’s request. 

 

Anti takes this opportunity to get his own alone time with Jack and pulls his owner to the spot on the couch where the heater blows warm air. He arranges them so they’re back to chest, and the serpent buries his face into Jack’s neck as long arms and legs wrap around and hold him close. Jack sighs with a smile, closing his eyes and letting the warmth of Anti and the heater wash over him. He rests his arms over the serpent’s own and lets his fingers stroke the clothed arm there. 

 

Jack eventually takes his own shower and gets dressed in his new hat and scarf before pulling on his winter coat. Marvin is wearing one of his new sweaters and is munching on some of his Christmas candy when Jack finally leaves the bedroom, and Anti is just finishing up his second mug of hot cocoa and candy cane drink. Jack makes sure they have everything they need before he ushers the other two out of the home and into his car. 

 

Jackie greets them with the same enthusiasm Marvin had that morning before they even have the chance to knock on the door. They’re all pulled into a hug, and Jack can’t help but laugh as they all greet each other a ‘good morning’ and ‘happy holiday’. The others soon come into the entryway and greet Jack and company. Henrik takes Jack’s coat before leaning down to kiss him and Jack smiles back into it. The doctor breaks the kiss after a moment and tells Jack that it’s good to see him. Jack returns the compliment and lets Henrik go hang up his coat while he follows the others into the dining room

 

The manor smells of cooked ham, potatoes, and casserole, and the scent fills Jack with warmth of the memories of home. The spread of food is laid out on the long table, and all of them take a seat and start passing around the plates and bowls containing the dinner. Everyone chatters with each other loudly; Robbie and Jameson converse with themselves over food and drinks while Marvin and Jackie chat about various comic books and video games they’ve played recently. Chase and Anti chat about various things, and although it’s small talk, it’s clear that they’re enjoying themselves. Henrik talks to Jack, asking about how their morning had been, and Jack recalls the events while leaving out certain sexual details. Marvin adds his own recounts between bites of food, and the doctor makes the comment saying that it sounds like they had a lovely time. 

 

Jack asks the same question in return, and Henrik informs him that both Chase and Jackie have been bouncing off the walls since sunrise. Chase defends himself instantly, saying that Jackie was way more energetic than him, and the cardinal shoots back that Chase was the one who woke him up first. Henrik states that it doesn’t matter which one woke up who first, that in the end, they both woke up the rest of the house. Everyone laughs warmly when both Chase and Jackie’s expression turn to that of guilt, and they apologize. The rest of the meal wraps up nicely, and by the time they’re done, Jack has a couple of whiskey-and-cokes buzzing through his system. 

 

All of them help Henrik by taking the dishes and platters to the kitchen, and soon an operation forms in the space as they find a rhythm of cleaning. Jack, Robbie, and Jameson work on moving leftover foods into some plastic containers before handing off the dishes to Anti. From there, Anti and Henrik wash and rinse the plates clean while Marvin, Jackie, and Chase work on drying and putting away the now clean dishes. There’s towel snapping and water splashing along the way, but for the most part it’s just chatting and laughter. 

 

Finally, the time for opening presents has arrived, and they all gather around the fireplace in the Study. Marvin and Jackie pass out the presents, and soon Henrik gives permission to open them. They all tear into their gifts at different rates; Marvin, Jackie, and Chase are the most excited, Anti and Henrik open theirs at a more calm and normal rate, Jack is somewhere in between, and both Robbie and Jameson open theirs at a leisure pace - choosing mostly to munch on the food and candy found in their stocking rather than opening the presents just yet. 

 

Robbie ends up receiving a long sleeve striped shirt, a 1000-piece puzzle of a landscape with the setting sun behind it, various books, a scarf, a beanie, and some snacks. Anti gets some Uno cards that Jack and Henrik picked up while out on their first date, along with some insulated leather gloves, a multitool, a pocket knife, and some puzzle books. Jackie ended up with the comic books also bought by Jack and Henrik, and also receives T-shirts with various prints, logos, and sayings. He also gets a superhero cape and mask as a gag gift, but Jackie ends up loving them the most and wears it through the rest of the gift-opening event. 

 

Marvin ends up with more candy, and Jack mentions that the feline will be on a sugar high all week at this rate. The feline also receives a Magician’s play set, his own stack of comic books, 3D wooden puzzles, and a sketch pad. JJ receives a box of various flavored tea bags along with some classic novels, slippers, leather gloves, and his own snacks. 

 

Jack ends up with a coffee mug with the words ‘#1 Favorite Human’ printed on the side, some different flavored and higher quality coffee, a new long winter jacket, leather gloves, and snacks. Henrik receives a thermos, his own set of flavored coffee, new sweaters, a scarf, a beautiful woven blanket, and a mug with the words ‘To Do List: 1. Coffee, 2. Repeat step 1.’ printed on its side. Finally, Chase receives his own long sleeve shirts, t-shirts with prints, new boots, a baseball set, a scarf, and a Nerf gun. He shoots a dart at Jackie’s head for good measure, and the cardinal squeaks in surprise. 

 

There’s wrapping paper everywhere by the time they’re done, and Chase forces Jackie to help him clean up the mess. Jack, Robbie, and JJ end up helping them out while Henrik, Anti, and Marvin help refill everyone’s choice of beverages. They all enjoy each other’s company in the Study for a while, each of them looking over their own gifts again and trying out their new things. Eventually, Henrik, Robbie, and JJ watch as the others begin a game of Uno. 

 

They’re into the third round when Jack looks up through the window and noticed that it has started to snow. Jackie instantly challenges Chase and Jack to a snowball fight, and they quickly accept. Marvin and Anti choose to join in, and soon they’re all getting dressed up to go outside. Chase is out first, and scoops up a handful of snow before forming it into a ball. He turns halfway down the steps and lobs the ball back at Jackie. The targeted man blocks it before scooping down and throwing one back at Chase, and the hound dodges and runs down the rest of the steps and out into the yard with Jackie close on his heels. 

 

Soon, there are teams, with Anti, Chase, and Marvin on one side, Jack and Jackie on the other. Balls are lobbed back and forth endlessly, and both sides get equal hits in. Henrik watches from his place on the porch at both the snowball fight and the snowman being built by Robbie and Jameson. Jack calls out to the doctor, telling him to come join in for the fight, but Henrik politely declines. 

 

Anti responds by firing a snowball and hitting Henrik square in the face. 

 

The snow falls from his face and glasses to reveal an annoyed expression, and after two seconds pass, the doctor scoops up his own ball of snow and shoots it right back at Anti. The serpent dodges, and soon Henrik is by Jack and Jackie’s side helping them build a snow wall and firing back. 

 

The fight goes on for quite a while, and by the time Jack’s done, both Robbie and Jameson have stacked perfect spheres of snow neatly on top of one another. They use an old hat and scarf to dress up the top globe, and with a few sticks, rocks, and leaves, they’ve completed the snowman’s look and appearance. 

 

Jack falls back into the snow in surrender, and after a while, Henrik does the same. The remaining contestants of the fight turn into teams of two, Marvin and Jackie verses Anti and Chase, and shouts of glee and laughter once again fill the air. Chase ends up shoving some snow down Jackie’s shirt, and Marvin ends up hitting a branch above Anti’s head which in turn dumps all of it’s snow onto the serpent’s head. Jack watches the snow fall down from the sky and feel the flakes kiss his face until his focus turns to Henrik who first approaches him and sits down. 

 

“How you kids have all that energy is beyond me,” Henrik states with a smile, and Jack scoffs. 

 

“We’re practically the same age,” Jack retorts.

 

“That doesn’t change my statement in the slightest,” replies Henrik, and that gets Jack into a giggle fit. The doctor turns his head to look down at the human and gives him a fond smile. “Thank you, Jack.”

 

The addressed man tones his laughter down to a smile. “What for?” asks Jack.

 

“All of this,” Henrik gestures with his chin to the rest of the half breeds, “It’s… I was afraid that having all of them here would be too overwhelming. My home had been practically empty for many years, so having a sudden onslaught of new people in my life had me worried. But now, I’d never want this to change. I was use to the quiet, but I knew that it got lonely for Chase.” 

 

Jack sits up and watches with a smile as the hound scoop up another snowball and throw it at the feline. 

 

“Now, he has friends,” Henrik continues, “We all have friends. I’m… I’ve missed this.” Jack turns to look at him and smiles wider, and the doctor’s smile drops before he swallows. “I know that I’ve been keeping facts from you. The time is coming where I’ll be able to tell you everything -who I was, and what I still am - but… just not yet.” Henrik pauses and reaches up to brush some damp bangs from Jack’s forehead. “...You’ve decided to trust me through this when you didn’t have to. So, thank you.”

 

Jack stares at the doctor for a long moment, smile not completely leaving his face, but he finds no words to reply with. Instead, he cups the doctors face and pulls him in for a kiss, and the doctor instantly falls into it. Henrik is about to pull Jack closer and deepen the kiss when Chase pelts them both with a snowball. Henrik sputters while Jack just laughs at the rebellion. 

 

“We were having a moment!” Henrik yells at Chase, and the hound sticks out his tongue.

 

“That’s for entering my room, earlier!” Chase retorts, and Henrik huffs before picking up his own handful of snow and standing.

 

“Excuse me for a moment, Jack, while I go teach this pup some manners,” Henrik requests and immediately goes after Chase. The man shouts in surprise and runs away with the doctor fast on his heels. Marvin comes over and pulls Jack back into the snow, claiming that it was now time to make snow angels, and Jack agrees with a laugh. Surprisingly, Robbie and Jameson join in on the angel fun, and Jackie comes over a bit later to make a snow-superhero. Anti collapses by Marvin and Jack, and the feline pulls him closer to join them. The three of them share a quick kiss with one another, and their smiles threaten to split their face in half. 

 

The sun soon starts to set, and they all decide to go back into the manor. They strip of their soaked clothes, all changing into dryer ones, before they gather around the fireplace in the Study once more. A couple of pre baked pies and other desserts are sliced and passed around while Henrik turns on a radio to allow soft music to play. More tea, hot cocoa, and coffee is brewed and served, and they all settle in for more board and card games. Laughter and shouts of glee ring out through the home late into the night.

 

When it finally quiets down, it’s a little past midnight. Robbie and Jameson retire for the evening first, holding hands as they bid the others a quiet goodnight, and both Anti and Marvin soon follow after. Jack tells them that he’ll still be up a while, and they both nod and kiss him goodnight. Marvin yawns sleepily, and Anti picks up him bridal style without thinking about it. The feline is passed out before Anti even leaves the the Study, and Jack chuckles at the scene. 

 

Once they’re out of view, Jack looks back at the two men passed out on the small loveseat. Chase is laying on top of Jackie, and they’re both snoring softly. Henrik takes the blanket he got as a gift that day and carefully drapes it over both of them. They shift and sniff softly in their sleep before settling down once more, and both Jack and the doctor smiles. Henrik pours both himself and Jack one more drink before guiding him towards the conservatory.

 

They sit facing one another and hold up their glasses for a quiet toast to a good day and loving family. Henrik has an arm wrapped around Jack’s waist while he holds his drink with another, and Jack leans in for a kiss under the night sky above them. They can taste the different alcohols flavors on their lips. They get lost in it for a bit, slowly setting their drinks down on the coffee table before cupping each other’s faces and heads. Jack pulls Henrik down while leaning back against the couch cushions, and he does it without breaking the kiss. 

 

The doctor holds Jack close, slipping his arms between Jack’s back and the cushions, and the other brings his arms up around Henrik’s neck before separating the kiss and looking up at Henrik’s hooded eyes. The human smiles, running a hand through the doctor’s hair, and speaks quietly. “Thank you, Henrik.”

 

The mentioned man’s eyes widen in surprise, not expecting a statement like that, but after a moment, he replies, “What for, Jack?”

 

Jack doesn’t answer right away, instead taking his time to study Henrik’s face and traces his thumb over one of his eyebrows. The digit moves down to trace the bottom lip, and Henrik kisses the them before moving his head down to press his lips to Jack’s pulse point on his wrist. “For all of this,” Jack finally whispers, “For accepting all of us into your home,” he makes sure he has Henrik’s attention for the last part, “and for trusting me.” Henrik sighs and leans down, kissing Jack as an expression of gratitude and acceptance. When they break, he simply wishes Jack a Happy Christmas. Jack’s smile is brighter than any star in the sky. 

 

“Happy Christmas, Henrik.”

 

The rest of the year passes in a blur, and one night after work, Jack is home sitting on one end of the couch and playing games with some of his online friends. Marvin is curled up and sleeping on the other end of the couch while Anti is passed out on the recliner. The serpent has the chair extended, and the top of an open book rests on the bridge of his nose while he snores. Jack has his headset on and talks at a normal volume since the other two don’t seemed disturbed by the noise. A muffled voice can be heard through the headphones, and Jack laughs in response to whatever it said. 

 

Back at the manor, Henrik hands Jameson his own envelope containing his reply to the letter he received. He insists that Jameson should wait to leave until he has a full recovery, but the terrier shakes his head before thanking him for the offer. The doctor finally lets him go, and both Jackie and Chase say goodbye with smiles and a wave. Robbie lingers, and both him and Jameson rub their noses together. The terrier smiles when he feels a lemur tail curl loosely around his legs, and Jameson holds up the letter to block the sight of giving Robbie a light kiss on the lips from the other men. Jackie whistles a cat call, anyway, and Chase smacks the cardinal on the back of the head. Jameson finally makes his way back home, insisting on walking the driveway by himself and that he’s made arrangements to be picked up once he’s back on the road. Chase comforts Robbie and tells him that he’ll make the lemur some tea and cookies. Jackie follows them, and Henrik makes his way into his office. The doctor picks up the letter that he just replied to and rereads it. 

 

 

_           My dear Henrik, _

 

_           I hope this letter finds you well. I have been requested by my superior to contact you via this old method for the time being while some other business matters get settled on our end. Though the majority of this ‘business’ has to remain confidential, mainly per your request of not being informed of such matters anymore, I feel that it would be in your best interest to inform you of the following information.  _

 

 

The voice through Jack’s headset catches the man’s attention, and Jack pauses the game to listen. “What?.... Yeah, that’s where I live. What of it?” Jack asks the person on the other end of the line. The muffled voice goes on for a minute, and it sounds excited. 

 

 

_           A few of us have decided to relocate back towards your part of the country in order to resettle and organize a better management of business. Do not worry about having you and your friends relocate from the property - my superior has found another manor nearby where we will locate to. You all may continue to stay there as long as you wish.  _

 

 

Jack’s eyes widen in shock before a smile spreads across his face. “Really?!” Jack shouts, and Marvin jerks awake with a start. Jack quickly mouths an apology and pets the feline’s head. Realizing that there wasn’t anything wrong, Marvin readjusts and sighs happily back into the cushions before falling back asleep. “You’re moving here?” Jack asks, and the voice on the other end confirms it happily. “That’s awesome!” he adds enthusiastically, “I can’t wait to finally meet ya!”

 

 

_          I will be taking back my position at the vet clinic, but do not worry. Should you request it, I will be sure to offer you a job at the clinic. Otherwise, do not worry about finances. I would not put you out like that so quickly. You will be able to continue living your lifestyle comfortably.  _

 

 

“Man, after all these years, we can finally meet in person,” Jack exclaims.

 

The other voice laughs, “I know, man! After we kept missing each other at conventions and stuff, we’re finally going to properly say ‘hi’ face to face. You’d think we’d be better at planning this stuff.”

 

 

_           There is one thing I wish to inform you. As you well know, my superiors don’t like to trust newcomers so easily. I know your wishes, old friend, but there is no way around this. It will be only a meet-and-greet, I assure you - to verify what they’ve already discovered about them. I am sorry for this, and I hope you understand. _

 

 

“And,” Jack adds with a smirk, “I can finally show you how to properly play a video game.”

 

The voice on the other end sputters in fake defiance. “ _ Excuse  _ you, who’s the one that was in first place for the majority of that race?” asks the voice. 

 

“The same one who fell into 6th place after getting his ass annihilated by a blue shell,” Jack retorts before falling into a fit of giggles. The voice shouts at him to shut up, and Jack falls into more hysterics. 

 

 

_           Thank you, again, for watching over my clinic and the mansion. I hope to be seeing you soon once I have arrived. I will send another letter once we’ve settled into the new place.  _

 

_           I appreciate your patience and cooperation in all of this,  _

 

 

“I want a rematch!” claims the voice, “You are  _ so _ going down, Jackaboy!”

 

Jack gets back under control and adjust his headset with a smile. 

 

 

_           With best regards, _

 

 

“In your dreams, Markiplier.”

 

 

_           Doctor Iplier _

_          Head Physician of the Iplier Family.  _

  
  
  
  
  


~*~

To Be Continued

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D 
> 
> Howdy! Did ya have fun?
> 
> Welcome to the end of this first part of the series! Yes, a lot of questions have been left unanswered, but that's because they'll be revealed in later parts of the Pets series, so should you so choose, stick around for that - because Jack's life has only just begun to flip itself on its head. 
> 
> This part of the series is ending like this because I just wanted to introduce all of the JSE egos for this first part. The next part will have more story development and, of course, new half breeds!
> 
> Also, thank you so much for all the love and support you've given this fic. I never expected this to develop into a full fledged story, let alone the loving response from each and every one of you who has left a kudo, a comment, or both. 
> 
> Though I won't answer any spoilers about the content in the future fic, if there's anything in this part of the series that you're still confused about, please write a comment down below, and I'll be happy to answer it to the best of my ability. 
> 
> Thank you all, again, for enjoying this series. It's been a fun ride, and it has only just begun. :D
> 
> Sincerely,  
> BD

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! You made it to the end! Congrats!  
> If you like what you've read so far, please let me know!  
> I love hearing from you and appreciate all of the feed back.
> 
> Thanks for stopping by!


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